ALESSIA AND THE LAMB

A girl lives on a sanctuary for farm animals in Wisham’s picture book.

Alessia, who has pale skin and brown hair, cares for animals that other people haven’t treated well, including “horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, alpacas, emus, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, and lots of pigs.” One day, a lamb arrives, and Alessia names her Yodi. She feeds the new arrival with a bottle until she’s big enough to follow her everywhere she goes. Yodi has a big appetite and sometimes gets into forbidden parts of the sanctuary, but Alessia doesn’t mind. When Yodi doesn’t seem like her usual, playful self, Alessia takes her to the vet who discovers the lamb has copper poisoning from eating chickens’ food. When Yodi dies, Alessia sinks into sadness. Wisham’s graceful text has a nurturing tone that invites discussion of the story’s important themes, and the narrative walks young readers through the grief process: Alessia blames herself, feels angry, avoids friends, and loses interest in new animal arrivals. Eventually, months later, Alessia begins to feel like her old self and opens her heart to a new animal, although she never forgets Yodi. Mejia’s full-color cartoon illustrations clearly depict the seasons, the greenery, and the sanctuary’s animals, and her use of color gets across how a loss can make everything seem to fade.

A sensitive and honest portrayal of grief and love.