Is It Asleep?

Squirrel and his silent friend (a mushroom) discover the cycle of nature and of life in a down-to-earth and moving picture book that beautifully pays respect to a friend who has died—then birdsong brings a new beginning

Squirrel and his best friend, Pock the mushroom, sit on the old stump, watching birds fly by. When they’re tired of this, they take the path to the yellow meadow to listen to the blackbird sing. But today, the bird’s not there. The friends look everywhere. Finally they find it on the path, all stretched out and quite still. It must be sleeping. They sit down quietly and wait for the bird to wake.

This true-to-child story of a natural encounter with an animal that has died is both dryly humorous and a profound example of how to manage the comings and goings of life.