The Hole
Published on 27. March 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
32 pages
978-0-241-73715-6 (ISBN)
Description
A powerful and profoundly moving picture book story about grief that is perfect for opening up conversations about loss with young readers
A little boy has a big hole in his life after his brother's death. It's in the bottom bunk where Matty used to sleep, and on Matty's chair at dinner.
It follows him everywhere - and he hates it.
But with the help of a friend, he manages to climb into the hole and confront his grief - the sadness, the anger, and the simple truth of how much he misses his brother. And when he finally feels ready to share stories about Matty again, he realises he can find some comfort in filling the hole with his favourite memories.
This beautifully written and stunningly illustrated story uses a direct and thoughtful metaphor to explain the grieving process for young readers, and demonstrates the importance of friendship, support, and the power of talking about your feelings.
A little boy has a big hole in his life after his brother's death. It's in the bottom bunk where Matty used to sleep, and on Matty's chair at dinner.
It follows him everywhere - and he hates it.
But with the help of a friend, he manages to climb into the hole and confront his grief - the sadness, the anger, and the simple truth of how much he misses his brother. And when he finally feels ready to share stories about Matty again, he realises he can find some comfort in filling the hole with his favourite memories.
This beautifully written and stunningly illustrated story uses a direct and thoughtful metaphor to explain the grieving process for young readers, and demonstrates the importance of friendship, support, and the power of talking about your feelings.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Random House Children's UK
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 3 to 6 years
Product notice
Picture book
Dimensions
Height: 251 mm
Width: 205 mm
Thickness: 5 mm
Weight
159 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-73715-6 (9780241737156)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2025
Puffin
€8.99
Available for download
Persons
Lindsay Bonilla (Author)
Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and author whose previous picture books include The Storyteller, Parents' Choice Award winner Polar Bear Island, I Love You with All of My Hearts and The Note Who Faced the Music. She lives with her husband, two wild and creative kids and her dog, Blitzen, in North Canton, Ohio.
Brizida Magro (Illustrator)
Brizida Magro is an illustrator based in Boulder, Colorado, where she teaches illustration at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. She also illustrated Gift & Box by Ellen Mayer, Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O'Neill and Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Lee Donovan. She loves to experiment with paper collage, gouache, china marker and digital art. Her childhood greatly influenced her current work, which blends together the innocence of vintage children's art, the naivete of folk art and frolicking adventures through the great outdoors. She enjoys simplicity, whimsy, wee characters and collecting vintage papers. She is passionate about rock climbing, wandering the world and bringing stories to life.
Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and author whose previous picture books include The Storyteller, Parents' Choice Award winner Polar Bear Island, I Love You with All of My Hearts and The Note Who Faced the Music. She lives with her husband, two wild and creative kids and her dog, Blitzen, in North Canton, Ohio.
Brizida Magro (Illustrator)
Brizida Magro is an illustrator based in Boulder, Colorado, where she teaches illustration at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. She also illustrated Gift & Box by Ellen Mayer, Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O'Neill and Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Lee Donovan. She loves to experiment with paper collage, gouache, china marker and digital art. Her childhood greatly influenced her current work, which blends together the innocence of vintage children's art, the naivete of folk art and frolicking adventures through the great outdoors. She enjoys simplicity, whimsy, wee characters and collecting vintage papers. She is passionate about rock climbing, wandering the world and bringing stories to life.