Que el cielo espere. (Heaven Can Wait)
Reviewed by Cristi Jenkins, Access & Programs, Fort Vancouver Regional Library, WA -- Críticas, 5/15/2008
Henkel, Katja.
tr. by María Esperanza Romero. illus. by
Sybille Hein. Spain: Siruela, dist. by Anaya. 2008. 161p. ISBN 978-84-9841-163-8. $35.95.
Gr 3+–When Litalotte tells her two grandchildren that she will watch over them when she dies, Julian and Greta believe her. So when they cannot hear or see her—even though Grandma is hovering about them, accompanied by her curmudgeonly angel, Gustav VII—the children take drastic measures: they decide to cause enough trouble to compel Litalotte to return to fix things. When their ill-advised actions end in Julian almost dying, Greta confesses to their mother that they were simply trying to get Grandma to come back. Her mother gently explains that when people die, they need to go on, and we need to let them go. With that realization, the children view the passing more realistically, and Grandma proceeds happily to heaven. In her first book for children, Henkel creates a compelling and endearing tale about death, sibling loyalty, and familial love. The pencil-and-watercolor cartoonish illustrations by award-winning Hein give a welcome humorous flair to the story. Adequate as a teaching tool on the subject of coping with the loss of a loved one, this book is recommended for school and public libraries, as well as bookstores.
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