Published: 1st October 2019
Publisher: A New Zealand
Illustrator: Phoebe Morris
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
A kitten called Cleo steps into six-year-old Rob’s life after his big brother, Sam, dies.
Based on true events in author Helen Brown’s family, this heart-warming story first appeared as a world-wide bestselling book for adults, Cleo.
I first came across this picture book not knowing about the adult book Cleo but it didn’t matter because Brown captures an emotional journey through beautiful words and Morris’ illustrations are the perfect balance that reflect the picture book format while never making light of the content.
This is a heartfelt story that is super sweet but quite sad as well. The exploration of brotherly relationships, family dynamics as well as the emotion impacts of loss and suffering make it a powerful read but one that speaks to both children and adults.
The way that Cleo and Rob come together after tragedy is so incredibly sweet and as the story goes on it shows how those moments from childhood have a long lasting effect on Rob’s life. Anything based on a true story is going to get me invested and emotional, especially if an animal is involved and this story was no exception. A truly beautiful read.
You can purchase Cleo and Rob via the following
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