Written & Illustrated by: Sang Miao

For ages: 5-8 years

Language: English

Topics Covered: Family, Grief, Loss, Love, Social-Emotional Growth & Development, Death.

Summary:  

This is a beautiful book in both storyline and artwork.  Our main character is a small boy who is told about a jellyfish that can revert back to the polyp stage and grow up again, thus being essentially immortal. The child wonders if people are immortal, and his grandfather says no.  Then, the child doesn’t see his grandfather for a bit.  His parents tell him that his grandfather died, and he won’t get to see him anymore.  The child cries, and falls asleep thinking of his grandfather.  Suddenly, his grandpa appears and the pair fly into the air on a mission to become immortal.  A fantastical adventure ensues in which the pair end up at the Life Transfer City and meet some of the individuals there.  We won’t spoil the ending, but do you think the young boy will see his grandpa again?

The book is a beautiful take on grief and remembering a loved one that has passed on.  The whimsical illustrations convey the dreamscape adventure that the protagonist goes on, and we can’t get enough!  Grief is a difficult concept for young children to fully grasp, and this does a great job of explaining how a person can always be around in memories and dreams.  What we also love about this book is the way it tackles both losing a family member and the fact that everything ends up passing on, maybe at the Life Transfer Station!

 This book was sent to us by Flying Eye Books, Nobrow in the UK, but all opinions are our own!

Reflection Questions:

• Who is an important person in your family?
• Do you ever have dreams about your family or friends?
• Do you have any other questions about the jellyfish, Life Transfer Center, or any of the other topics that the book talked about?

About the Author & Illustrator:

Sang Miao is a freelance illustrator who recently graduated form the University of Brighton in the UK. She has since been doing work for numerous fiction and children’s book projects, including Sang’s first project with Flying Eye Books, Out, Out, Away From Here. She currently lives in China.  Visit her Instagram!