THE HARE-SHAPED HOLE

It’s hard to lose someone you love.

Bertle the turtle and Hertle Hare are the best of friends; though different, they support each other no matter what. Then, one day, Bertle finds that he’s alone except for a dark, Hertle-shaped shadow: “a hole in the air where a hare ought to be.” Bertle looks everywhere, but he cannot find any sign of Hertle. He yells at the dark hole, but it doesn’t respond. Then he begs the hole to bring Hertle back; he offers toys and promises to be on his best behavior, to no avail. Bertle sits by the riverbank where the two friends used to go and cries. Gerda, a kind older bear, comes along and hugs Bertle, letting him express his grief. When Bertle asks why Hertle had to go, Gerda responds that though sometimes those we love must leave us, we can fill the hole that’s left behind with memories of the good times. As Bertle shares his memories, the hare-shaped hole fills with colors and stars. Depicting several stages of grief, this sweet book is a tender portrayal of a character grappling with loss. The narrative is open-ended—Hertle is just “gone” one day—so readers in many situations will be able to relate. The steady, rhyming text works well with the painterly, roughly textured illustrations, which balance out the sad subject matter with a bright palette.

Moving.