I clearly remember the day my nana died. My mom and dad sat the five of us down and despite their tears spoke of the joy that could be found in my nana’s death. Looking back, I am certain it was their way of normalizing death. I posted this thought yesterday: Everyone’s grief journey is different.
Which is why I love this picture book, POPI’S ALL SOULS SONG by CK Malone (one of my critique partners) and illustrated by Susan Swann. At its core, it offers a message of comfort for a young child trying to make sense of loss. No one person’s loss is greater or lesser than another’s. And there is comfort to be found in sharing our grief with others.
Little Mara walks with her grandparents, bringing that comfort by way of a song to neighbors in mourning.
Until one day, it is her own grandmother who needs that song.
The luminous art –awash in deep blues – captures the spirit of the song in a wispy white trail that follows and floats with Mara, from home to home.
Here is a story that approaches bereavement with both the dignity and simplicity that a young child can understand –and deserves. Mara expresses the range of emotions -from confusion to anger to sadness and finds a way to do what any young child would do: comfort someone they love.
What a treasure –that a picture book would address the pain of grief and leave us comforted.
I had the privilege of seeing POPI’S ALL SOULS SONG come to life –as I mentioned earlier, CK Malone is a critique partner. So I asked them, now that this beautiful story is in the world, to reflect on its development. Here is an excerpt of our conversation:
PF: What inspired this story?
CK: My Popi. He was an amazing human who understood grief and loss. He really understood the human part of us.
PF: What is something you discovered that you didn’t know until you wrote this book?
CK: One of the things I discovered is my Nene DIDN’T join in on my Popi’s songs. He would play his jazz music and visit people, but my Nene did not. She was full-blood Cherokee and there is a difference in how honoring the dead happens.
PF: Did you find writing a picture book about death and grieving difficult?
CK: It was. My real life Nene and Popi were so opposite. The book–like CHARLY–was what I wished had happened. Popi honored everyone. Nene was afraid. She knit hats over her eyes to avoid seeing the dead. She predicted her own foster mother’s death in tea leaves. There are so many things we do not understand about Cherokee grandmothers.
PF: Do you have a favorite scene?
CK: The one where Nene says no one can measure the loss. That’s a big feeling. We all want to compare the greater loss. That is human. It was actually my cousin, Elizabeth, who said this first. How can you measure a loss? How great is it?
PF: Did you have trouble selling a story based on a Christian tradition?
CK: I think so. But I also went through so much in the arena of a new everything.
PF: What is it that you want us to know that will make us run out and buy this book?
CK: Shelly is a brilliant illustrator. Her ability to capture my Popi’s story is one of the reasons I adore her. But she also sought out the why.
PF: What’s next for CK?
CK: Whatever the publishing world decides. They dictate what happens. But I teach on. I reach on. Until grassroots peeps speak up and speak out about what scholars really want to read…our fates are in the hands of the few. I know what they want to read. I teach them every day.
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Patricia, thanks for this interview with C.K. Malone. I just read POPI’S ALL SOULS SONG and fell in love with the story, art, and style. It was a book I wish I had when teaching 2nd and 3rd grades. Such rich emotion!
Thank you for sharing this!