The Biggest Thing of All

Lily, who has two dark braids and light brown skin, enjoys helping her white grandparents in the garden every summer. Mama, also white, and Papa, who has skin similar to Lily’s, both assist in the garden. But a serendipitous lesson from Grandpa one day (“Everything is a part of something bigger.... ‘See: one ant is part of a whole colony’ ”) has more of an impact when Grandma passes away that autumn. Lily, left reeling, must learn to navigate the family’s collective sorrow: “She starts to worry./ What if Grandma’s garden doesn’t come back?/ What if Grandpa doesn’t smile again?” Thurman approaches familial loss accessibly, aided with a gentle touch by Galotta’s fine-lined, watercolor art. A sensitively told meditation on grief, the interconnectedness of the world, and the necessity of community support after loss. Ages 3–5. [em](Mar.) [/em]