“And I remember sitting on the steps in the sun and not talking at all. There is no one else I can sit with and not talk.”
In this melancholy picture book, a girl misses her best friend who moved away and remembers the fun times they had together. Janey is less a story than a lyrical description of memories of special times with a special friend, written from the perspective of a small child. This book about feeling lonesome for someone who is gone can help give voice to sad feelings young children struggle to express after being parted from a good friend. It emphasizes the feelings that go with memories of special times with a special friend.
Parents of children who, like this little girl, have said goodbye to a beloved friend, could use this book as a tool to encourage healthy grief by inviting their children to share their own feelings and name the things they miss about their departed friend.
Reading level: age 5 to 9 years.