Mathers, Petra. When Aunt Mattie Got Her Wings. Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. unp. 978-1-4814-1044-1. Ages 4-8: Explaining death to young children is very difficult, and Mathers does a beautiful job of doing this in a story about Herbie the duck’s support when Lottie the hen’s beloved 99-year-old Aunt Mattie dies. Herbie overcomes his fear of going through a tunnel to be with Lottie as she goes to the hospital to be with Aunt Mattie to spend their last minutes together. When Lottie tells Herbie that she is sad, he comforts her by saying that they are together and clarifies the process of death by saying, “You mean it’s like her motor is all worn out.” Other comforts for Lottie are a letter that Aunt Mattie left her and the visit that she and Herbie make to Pudding Rock, a favorite picnic location for the three, to scatter Aunt Mattie’s ashes. Poignant and light, Herbie’s and Lottie’s experiences cover the emotions of loss from a death, culminating with the memorable line: “Maybe our hearts ache because Aunt Mattie is moving in.” A must for all collections used with young children. P8Q10 October/November 2014 review by Nel Ward.
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