Description: The sudden death of a mother, the despair that follows, and the hope that blossoms again at the very edge of that despair—a heartwarming story of love. ■ How Do I Keep From Forgetting Mom? When Mom passed away, everything changed. But I still search for her scent, listen for her voice, and want to hold onto those memories forever—as if she were still right beside me. How do I keep from forgetting Mom? The little child at the heart of this book suddenly loses a beloved mother one day. For children of this age, a mother is the fence that protects them from all the world's fears and troubles, the warm embrace that wraps everything in love, and indeed, their entire world. But one day, this mother suddenly departs for heaven. How does a small child overcome a loss so painful that even adults struggle to bear it? ■ "See this little dip right here? Mom is right here." In life, we often experience unavoidable separations from those we love. When we can no longer see someone who was always breathing beside us, laughing and crying with us, we feel a profound sense of despair and loss. The pain of losing a family member with whom we shared such closeness is perhaps the deepest wound of all—and for children, whose emotions are not yet fully mature, the shock is even greater. Yet it is also undeniable that death is something everyone must face at some point in life. This means that rather than avoiding death and separation entirely, we also need to be prepared to accept it naturally when it comes. This book portrays the heavy and shocking (from a child's perspective, frightening and terrible) subject of "a mother's death" calmly, through a child's eyes. The author avoids elaborate decoration or explanation, using restrained and simple language to portray the child's inner state with remarkable delicacy, as if observing through a camera lens right beside them. The child first feels anger and denial about the mother's death, which gradually transforms into wistful longing and attachment. Through a conversation with grandmother, the child comes to realize that Mom is always alive within their heart, and overcomes the wound to grow—this process unfolds vividly, like a panorama, through the symbolic image of "the scab on my knee." Here, the scab represents both the wound deep in the child's heart ("If you were going to leave so soon, why did you even have me?") and the healing of that wound ("There was smooth new skin underneath. Without my even noticing, the scab had fallen off on its own."). In this book, the mother's death is not portrayed as dark, because death is not an ending. Though the mother who has left the child's side can no longer be seen, she lives on in the child's heart, present whenever the child closes their eyes and remembers. Watching the child overcome the mother's death and grow will move anyone's heart with tender emotion. You'll want to gently hold the hand of the child who says they almost cried but didn't. ■ A Sad Yet Heartwarming Picture Book Olivier Tallec, one of the most acclaimed and talented illustrators working today, is known for his independence in choosing his own texts to allow for creative freedom. Drawing on his experience illustrating for advertising, animation, and newspapers, he fully expresses his distinctive style here as well. Even though this picture book tackles the difficult subject of death, its gentle colors and emotionally resonant illustrations blend with the heartwarming story to leave a lingering, tender impression once the book is closed. The rough, childlike pencil lines beautifully capture moments that are both sad and deeply moving, bringing a warmth to the eyes. The technique of coloring so that the pencil sketches subtly show through feels increasingly sophisticated and familiar the more you look at it. The striking red that dominates the entire book symbolizes the mother's death while also warmly conveying the process of the child's healing.