If You Miss Me; Jocelyn Li Langrand

Wherever she is, Charlie loves to dance, pirouetting, gliding and sliding though life. Her favourite place to dance is under the moon with her grandma. When family tragedy tears Charlie’s world apart, she wonders if dancing will ever feel the same again. With the biggest show of the year approaching, she needs grandma more than ever. Will the words, ‘If you miss me, look at the moon,’ be enough for Charlie to find her dancing feet and give the performance of her life…

Losing a loved one is hard and for many children the loss of a grandparent can be their first experience of family tragedy. Tenderly capturing the highs of life and the sorrows of loss, Jocelyn Li Langrand’s debut picture book, If You Miss Me, is a beautiful story about love, loss and grief and is a comforting reminder that those we hold dear are never truly gone. It is heart-warming, heart-breaking and ultimately heart-healing.

A tough subject is handled with so much care and sensitivity, Li Langrand offering a comforting hug to readers who, like Charlie, may be dealing with the sadness of losing a loved one. The text is filled with emotion and meaning and the gorgeous artwork transcends the depths of love and loss. The special relationship between Charlie and grandma leaps from the early pages while the latter pages of a child saddened by loss and lost in grief will bring a tear to many an eye. 

For any child who has lost a grandparent, Charlie’s story will bring comfort and will encourage them to remember the special times, connections and memories they have to help them deal with their grief. ‘If you miss me, look at the moon…Because even when we are apart, the same moon shines for both of us. So when I see the moon, I see you,’ the wise words of Grandma.

Recommended for 4+.