Bidding Farewell

They never speak a single word in the language of humans.  Signature sounds instinctively passed from generation to generation are heard. Final moments are not spent alone.  A last breath is acknowledged.  A life is honored and mourned.

These are the noted observations of scientists who have studied loss within certain animal groups.  Death completes a circle.  For this reason, certain rituals are of importance.  In A Last Goodbye (Owlkids Books, April 15, 2020) written by Elin Kelsey with artwork by Soyeon Kim, this remarkable collaborative team who brought us You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking and You are Never Alone, addresses the end of life as a significant part of life.

When it comes time to say
our last goodbye,
I will wrap my trunk around you
and support you with my tusks.

An elephant is showing their faithfulness to a companion.  A killer whale signals the desire to elevate to the surface another member of the pod who needs to breathe.  Chimpanzees add to the comfort of a bed upon which a dying friend rests, using natural materials.  They will also use their hands to comb and care for their fur.

Each featured animal reminds their failing partner, they will not be left alone.  They will be comforted.  Even in death, the closeness is continued.  It will be done in silence or with cries of sadness.

Others will come to mourn your leaving, some journeying for miles and miles.  They will remain in your presence for hours.  Objects will be left by your side or brought to cloak your body.  The site of your passing will be remembered and visited in the future.

In the place where you remain, there are questions to be answered.  How will you continue to contribute to the richness of our Mother Earth?  You need to know you will not be forgotten.  You will be missed.  You will be found in others' memories for the joy you gave to them.  You are always a part of each subsequent generation.


The first sentence of this book, noted above, leads readers gently into the topic.  In her words, based on research, Elin Kelsey invites us with reverence into the natural sanctuary animals create for their dying family members and friends.  Every noted action conveys compassion.  Through grief, comfort given is a blanket of hope.  Here are two more sentences.

We will visit the place
where your body rests.

What gifts will it share
as it settles into the earth?


The front of the dust jacket and book case is your first glimpse of the intricate and detailed portraits of animals loving and mourning other animals as they are dying and dead.  Every item is meticulously placed to depict calm and solace.  To the left, the back, of the dust jacket we are shown at the top the last interior image within its framework.  Beneath this are thumbnails of the three previous books with excerpts from reviews.  Inside the dust jacket is a highly illustrated four-step process for the creation of the artwork.  On the book case the tree placed on the front crosses the spine.  Branches hang over two gorillas close to another which has passed.

The remarkable artwork of Soyeon Kim continues on the opening and closing endpapers.  A velvety teal color provides a canvas for line drawings of constellations featuring animals, numbering twenty-one, and including two humans.  They are labeled with their common and scientific names.

The initial title page features a gathering of black-billed magpies carrying items to place on a dead comrade.  On the double-page image for the verso and title pages, a pod of killer whales circles the text.  Each subsequent two-page illustration is a stunning representation and extension of the text.  The rich hues of blue (and mauve) in the backgrounds illuminate each exquisite item. 

At times Soyeon Kim will blend several different animals into a single visual.  Each of the depicted animals are displayed in their most natural colorations.  The deceased animals are featured in lighter shades.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is the first double-page picture.  In this instance the background is two shades of black.  Delicate flowers hang on the far right.  Across all the left and most of the right are two elephants.  The one in the background has wrapped their trunk around the trunk and head of the one in the front, supplying support.  It is a moving portrayal of offering care.


Bidding farewell for the final time to a beloved family member or friend is one of the hardest endeavors we all face.  A Last Goodbye written by Elin Kelsey with artwork by Soyeon Kim allows readers to understand how death is approached by other animals.  It helps us to find our place in this part of life.  This book is a tour de force.  At the close of the book is a note from the author.  Please consider placing it on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Elin Kelsey has an account on Twitter.  Soyeon Kim has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website there are multiple resources including two videos, one with the artist describing her process for this book.  There is a downloadable, eight-page teacher's guide designed by two psychologists.  There are several interior images for you to view.  There is an article in Psychology Today about this title.  Elin Kelsey is featured on a podcast about the process of process titled:  Episode 23: Elin Kelsey-Why Hope Matters For the Environment, For Art, and During A Pandemic. The host is Ruby Josephine.  (I have not listened to all of this.)  On Sunday, July 5, 2020, Elin Kelsey will be participating in a storytime showcasing this book.


Please take a few moments to enjoy the other titles selected this week by participants in the 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  They can be found at Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator, Alyson Beecher.

In Good Company

Every day whether we step outside or open a window or a door, as soon as the fresh air hits our faces we are the recipients of an offering, freely given.  This soft gentle breeze, the trees, evergreen and deciduous, the plants and flowers of the forests and fields and all the animal dwelling therein are a part of the richness our planet provides for us.  With every breath we take, we are at the center of an astounding swirl of inter-connected activity.

In 2012 author Elin Kelsey collaborated with artist Soyeon Kim in their first title, You Are Stardust, exploring our deep connections with nature. Their second title, Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking (Owlkids Books, April 14, 2015), asks readers to look to nature for the best kind of problem solving by freeing our imaginations.  You Are Never Alone (Owlkids Books, April 15, 2019) by Elin Kelsey with artwork by Soyeon Kim is a hopeful and appreciative tribute to our Earth.

Every moment
this beautiful planet
showers you with gifts.

Above ground rain falls from clouds and plants produce oxygen.  Below ground creepers and crawlers break the dirt apart so everything grows better.  Bees during the day and bats during the night, pollinate plants supplying us with food.  From the oceans, elements enhance things we eat; algae are used in ice cream.

When wild weather descends our planet protects.  Mangrove trees assist in the prevention of mud slides.  Kelp in underwater forests ease the effects of huge waves.  Every tree contributes to guarding us and this planet by offering shelter and shade.

Teeny, tiny living things, on the inside and outside of our bodies ensure our safety and health.  What is broken in nature can be repaired.  There is a resilience like that of our bodies.  There are items in nature which can heal.  For those loving to play or work in the dirt, it yields components which helps our brains work better.

Did you know there is a chain between whales, salmon, bears, and trees?  These largest creatures on our planet are essential to many forms of life, including humans.  Let us not forget how our lives benefit from our dogs and cats.  We need the solace they bring.  We are always in the embrace of our Earth.


Beginning with the first sentence written by Elin Kelsey, we are assured line by line of the care furnished to us by every living breathing thing regardless of its size, shape or place of residence.  Elin Kelsey explores many places; above and below the ground, oceans, seas and rivers and even our bodies to acquaint us with wondrous happenings every single day.  Her word choices read like poetry but are based in scientific fact.  Here is a passage.

You always have company.

Armies of microorganisms
snuggle against your skin,
keeping germs at bay.

Your face is home
to wee little cleaning mites
who evolved from mites that lived
on the faces of your relatives.


It's hard not to gasp when you look at the front and the back of the open and matching dust jacket and book case.  Each image is created by Soyeon Kim from three-dimensional dioramas which are photographed.  These exquisite works of art blend realism and fantasy.  We think nothing of seeing a child climbing a tree to ride a huge bird or kelp and a fish sharing the same setting.

To the left, on the back, an entire diorama is shown.  It's a view of a forest blending into a neighborhood.  If you flip over the open dust jacket, seven dioramas are on display for readers.  We are asked how the dioramas are connected.  We are challenged to find them in the body of the book.

The opening and closing endpapers are a dark teal.  On the initial title page, we see a whale diving into a hillside near two houses.  In the foreground a child and a bear peek around bushes.  On the verso and formal title pages, a whale breaches from left to right with another child riding on the tip.

Joyous children are embedded in every two-page illustration, walking on tree branches as an enlarged elk (caribou) watches them from the tree top.  A fox joins them on another branch.  A little girl rides a ground beetle underground as another little girl rides a bat at twilight. Girls and a boy, wearing their clothes wander among sea creatures, kelp and a whale.  You are compelled to pause at every page turn to notice each intricate item.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is an underwater scene.  A deep blue canvas showcases the brilliant gathering of vivid plants and animals.  It's like looking at a brand-new box of crayons.  A child moves into three different positions.  You know she could stay there all day and not see the same thing twice.  Will readers notice the change in her body?


You can't help but feel a sense of calm move from your head to your toes when reading You Are Never Alone written by Elin Kelsey with illustrations by Soyeon Kim.  This title comforts readers as well as inspiring them to cheer for our environment and its inhabitants.  It is a timely title for Earth Day celebrated this year on April 22nd.  Perhaps it will also promote a discussion of The Nature Conservancy's plan to plant one billion trees.  I highly recommend this title and the two previous titles by this collaborative team for your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Elin Kelsey has an account on Twitter.  Soyeon Kim has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you have access to interior images, a teacher's guide and two videos by the illustrator and author talking about this book.  Soyeon Kim explains in detail about her illustrative process.  It is time-consuming but fascinating.  Elin Kelsey teaches us about the science behind her words.  At Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson highlights this title.  Soyeon Kim shares a lot about her process.

Solution Seekers

All you have to do is step outside the confines of your home, school or workplace in an area with birds to recognize how well they work together to confront danger.  On any given day you can hear them excitedly chirping or squawking to announce the presence of a predator.  As you move closer to the noise, the culprit can usually be spotted.  Sometimes a group of smaller birds can be seen diving and chasing after a larger bird that has raided their territory, demonstrating the power of eliminating a pest.

Instinctively with remarkable adaptability members of the animal kingdom exhibit the necessary skills to withstand obstacles, change and threats.  Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking (Owlkids Books, April 14, 2015) written by Elin Kelsey with illustrations by Soyeon Kim asks readers to observe and learn.  Over long periods of time creatures in our world have continually created answers to questions.

Problems are like sticker burrs.
They poke.
They prick.
They nag.

Occasionally problems provide solutions coming to us in a flash.  Have you noticed how squirrels will start and stop and dash, start and stop and dash when crossing a busy road?  They've watched and altered their behavior.

Animals are always waiting and thinking.  Each specie approaches a dilemma differently.  Orangutans build nests, not only for sleeping but for pausing and pondering.  It might be necessary like gibbons to hold on and then take a leap toward a better direction.

If you can be still for long enough, you can monitor the process a particular animal uses to accomplish a goal.  They might not succeed on the first attempt but they do not give up.  Did you know chimpanzees fold leaves to scoop up water?

Humpback whales and bubbles work together.  A gifted special effects make-up artist and a mimic octopus have quite a bit in common.  Sometimes animals, like us, need help from family members.  Elders offer advice.

Even the constellations guide smaller members of the wildlife kingdom.  You can't live life without problems.  Look to our animal neighbors for solutions.  Connect, consider, concentrate and correct.

As if we are in a one-on-one conversation with Elin Kelsey she presents to readers the problem solving abilities of a variety of animals who are most at ease on land, sea or air,  Readers and listeners will be challenged by the verbs in her two-word sentences, inviting learning and discussion.  Distinctive parallels are made between those difficulties encountered by animals and those children find in their daily lives.  Here is another sample passage.

When these animals want to
make something happen...
they try.
They get frustrated.
They try again.
They invent tools.


Initially looking at the matching dust jacket and book case you are drawn to the illustrative work of Soyeon Kim.  All of the images are created in dioramas then photographed for publication.  Their ethereal beauty is breathtaking.  The picture extends to the left, the back, with a bear, bees and a child bearing a berry branch in the lower left-hand corner.  One of the final illustrations from the book is framed above this vignette.

The opening and closing endpapers are pale green.  In a darker shade drawings showcase animal creativity in eighteen labeled images.  Two title pages highlight flying birds; one carrying a little girl with arms outstretched like wings.

All of the visuals extend edge-to-edge across both pages with the exception of the final page.  The tiny elements in each scene are stunning. The children's attire and facial expressions are precious.  Kim alters her perspective from diorama to diorama.  Careful readers will see a panoramic view with text and then a portion of that will become the focus of another piece of the narrative.  It supplies a sense of continuity.

One of my favorite pictures is of the seven humpback whales swimming in a circle to create a net of bubbles.  The strings of tiny fish they hope to catch are swirling over the largest whale placed down the center of the gutter.  Two children, a girl and a boy are swimming with the whales.


Wild Ideas:  Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking written by Elin Kelsey with illustrations by Soyeon Kim takes readers into the wild letting them wander where they might not go.  Each statement supported by scientific fact is woven into the whimsical world of Kim's visuals.  This book frees us to be more than we thought we could be.  I would definitely pair this title with This Is Sadie by Sara O'Leary with pictures by Julie Morstad.

If you desire to learn more about Elin Kelsey or Soyeon Kim, follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  The publisher's website has numerous resources; seven scientific podcasts, Q & A sheets on the author and illustrator, a short video on taking the photographs of the dioramas, lesson plans are coming, the note from the author seen in the back of the book, a video of whales blowing bubbles and the press release.


Please visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to see the titles chosen by the other 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge participants.