THE HOLE

A family deals with the loss of a child.

“Matty’s gone,” and his parents and sibling (who narrates the story) are struggling with the feelings left behind, symbolized here as holes and depicted as scrawled, tight spirals in the middle of characters’ chests or on items that Matty once used. The protagonist is trailed everywhere by a hole. While some classmates don’t know how to provide support, many admit to living with holes of their own, representing other dearly departed family members. One day, the protagonist sees Matty’s best friend running and playing and feels upset. With the support of a friend named Nora, the child descends into one of the holes and finds comfort in crying, shouting, and throwing clumps of dirt. Nora invites the narrator to talk more about Matty, and the tale ends with the realization that “I don’t hate that hole. Not anymore. Because I know I can always fill it with memories of him.” This thought-provoking, poignant look at mourning never explicitly names death but makes concrete a euphemism that could be confusing to children while showing that love for a deceased family member always endures. In Magro’s striking collage illustrations, the protagonist is light-skinned and redheaded, while Nora is brown-skinned with three puffs atop her dark hair.

A unique and hopeful exploration of grief.