Where is My Sister?

Title: Where is My Sister? 

Author: Shannon Gibney

Illustrator: Huy Voun Lee

Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Availability: On sale now

Review copy: Final copy via publisher

Summary: Salome was going to be a big sister. Her brother, Gerald, told her so. They watched Mama’s tummy grow rounder and rounder, and their excitement grew, too. But then Mama went to the hospital, and she came home without a baby. The smiles stopped, and the house grew quiet except for Mama’s tears. 

“Where is my sister?” Salome asks. Mama gathers her and Gerald onto her lap and tells them that baby Toni is in the cemetery, but she’ll always be their sister. Gerald says that she’s in the spirit world. Salome looks for her all over. Is Toni’s spirit in Mama’s tears? Is she in the family’s stories about her? Is she between Salome and her brother at the dinner table, or beside Salome’s favorite tree in the backyard? As her family begins to find peace, Salome understands something important: “My sister is everywhere.” 

In "Where Is My Sister?" Shannon Gibney’s poetic voice captures the heartbreak of losing an infant and the love that joins family members together. Huy Voun Lee’s tender illustrations guide readers with quiet grace, honoring all those who passed from this world too soon. A resource for children and the parents, teachers, and community members who care for them, this book offers a powerful reflection for those who often feel alone during the painful and transformative experience of infant and sibling loss. 

My Thoughts: This beautiful book is one that will be helpful for many young children and families. There are not nearly enough books out in the world dealing with loss and one like this could be so incredibly helpful for young and old as they work through their own loss or are trying to understand what others might be going through when they experience a loss like this. 

Gibney has shared the questions and concerns of a young child as their family struggles to cope with the death of an expected sibling. It deals with the heartbreak and the ways different people try to process what has happened. The book feels honest and open in the face of grief. The adults are grieving themselves and are not always giving her the exact answer she is seeking and the children are puzzling through things on their own.

Salome has so many questions and her older brother, mother, and father all offer their thoughts on where Salome's sister is now. The older brother seems to have wrestled his way through to some answers and offers some helpful possibilities. Eventually Salome arrives at an answer that works for her. In the midst of this difficult time, they each find something to hold onto and ultimately reach for one another. 

Recommendation: This is a book that is incredibly helpful and I am glad that it exists. It's about a very difficult topic, but is even more necessary because of that fact. So many people want to help in the face of loss, but don't know how and are worried about what to say and do. This book could be a lovely piece of literature to help in that time of need. All libraries should have a copy as well as counselors and therapists or anyone who works with children or families dealing with grief and loss.  

Extra: Podcast with author