The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic and Illustrated by Olivier Tallec
Published by Candlewick Press
Pages: 32
Ages: 5 and up.
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | ISBN/ISBN-13: 0763653411 / 9780763653415
Publishers Summary:

When the boy in this story wakes to find that his mother has died, he is overwhelmed with sadness, anger, and fear that he will forget her. He shuts all the windows to keep in his mother’s familiar smell and scratches open the cut on his knee to remember her comforting voice. He doesn’t know how to speak to his dad anymore, and when Grandma visits and throws open the windows, it’s more than the boy can take–until his grandmother shows him another way to feel that his mom’s love is near. With tenderness, touches of humor, and unflinching emotional truth, Charlotte Moundlic captures the loneliness of grief through the eyes of a child, rendered with sympathy and charm in Olivier Tallec’s expressive illustrations.
A little boy responds to his mother’s death in a genuine, deeply moving story leavened by glimmers of humor and captivating illustrations.

Littlebug Asks Questions: I really like this book a lot and I like to read it bunches. The little boy always seems so sad and I have to ask my mom why a lot. I think it would be super super sad to not have my mom or dad anymore. Where would they go? Do you think they would come back after awhile? Or maybe I could go see them where they go? This book makes me ask lots and lots of questions and sometimes I have to ask the same ones a lot. Even if this is a very sad book, I still like it super a lot. And I love my mom and dad so so much.

Mom’s Two Cents: In the matter of a single night a little boy’s world is changed forever. When he wakes in the morning his mom has died and it’s all he can do to keep the smell of her in the house, to keep her there if only in the air. With only his dad left to care for him morning breakfast isn’t even the same. From sadness to anger and most of all love, The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic is the story of one little boy dealing with the death of the most important person in his world, his mom.

Where to begin with this review? This book was much like A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, at least for me personally. Reviewing it has been equally as difficult and similar to A Monster Calls, it’s taken over a year to find the words to explain how I feel about The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic. Given to me during a time when I worried about a cancer diagnosis, I struggled to get past the first three pages of this heart wrenching picture book. That first experience reading The Scar is still very vivid in my memory and though I sobbed through every last page of this little boy’s struggle I found myself appreciating that Charlotte Moundlic had created such a powerful piece of literature for children. Even if it quickly became one of Littlebug’s favorite books, and to this day when she asks me to read it I still cry.

The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic tackles a subject not often dealt with in picture books. It’s not a subject we like to think about in general. Who likes to dwell on thoughts of losing a parent? No one. Does that mean it doesn’t happen? Sadly no, and children need a source of comfort in such a time. Within the pages of The Scar the story is told through the eyes of a little boy who is raw with emotions that run the gamut from anger to sadness to peace. It’s the rawness of his reactions that make this little boy relatable and comforting. He’s real and he’s dealing with something horrific, the loss of someone his world revolved around. It’s heartbreaking, but poignant and beautifully written.

Also, I must add that the illustrations in The Scar are perfect in every way. Olivier Tallec uses very few colors throughout the book, primarily red, white and black with the occasional use of yellow and green, but the absence of so many other colors makes for another powerful layer to the storytelling. I found the reds within the book to be the perfect medium for eliciting the feelings that the text spoke to. Red can mean so many things from passion to love to fury, making it ideal for a book of this nature.

Together through the illustrations of Olivier Tallec and the articulate & beautiful text of Charlotte Moundlic, The Scar tells the story of one little boy who’s lost the center of his universe, his mom. Here is a story that no matter how heartbreaking, must be told. As this little boy struggles with his loss you feel every bit of hurt and fear he goes through, you wish to be able to take this pain from him. The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic is a book that must be told and shared. For anyone that’s ever lost anyone, parent or child, friend or close relative, The Scar brings comfort and hope through the experiences of one little boy struggling to find his way with his mom resting in his heart forever.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 2 and up. A book for all ages that shares a way to cope with death in a way that is comforting and also realistic, especially for children. A must read no matter your age.

Find The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic and Illustrated by Olivier Tallec at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads | ISBN/ISBN-13: 0763653411 / 9780763653415

Thank you so much to the publisher, Candlewick Press, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter, Google+ and on Facebook!
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