About this ebook
Rebecca lives in a bright and bustling home with her family on an island, where their days are full of work and also stories and laughter.
Then, one wintry day, her husband disappears into the icy sea.
Sorrow follows Rebecca home, haunting empty chairs and quiet moments. But life must go on. There is still work to be done: new rooms to build, firewood to chop.
Many years pass, and Rebecca’s children have children of their own. The house is filled with light and noise once again.
Rebecca grows older and older, until one day, Sorrow pays her a visit. But there is no fear, for Sorrow is now an old friend. So they sit together as the sun sets and watch the fireplace flames flicker down to the last ember.
Inspired by acclaimed author Kate Beaton’s family history and stunningly illustrated by Hans Christian Andersen-award-winner Sydney Smith, this exquisite story tells a tale of not just loss, but of the life that blooms after it. It’s a story of strength and resilience, of determination and survival, and of the timelessness of family and love.
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About the author
Kate Beaton is a cartoonist from Mabou, Unama’ki-Cape Breton. She is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Ducks: Two Years in the Oilsands, Hark! A Vagrant, Step Aside, Pops, and the picture books The Princess and the Pony, King Baby, and Shark Girl. She served as executive producer for Pinecone & Pony, an animated series for AppleTV+. Kate's work has won multiple Eisner, Doug Wright, Harvey and Ignatz awards in the field of comics. Ducks won Canada Reads 2023, and was chosen as one of Barack Obama's favorite books of 2022, and landed on best of the year lists from Time, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and the New York Times, among others.
Sydney Smith is a children's book illustrator. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his wife and two sons. He has been awarded multiple awards for his illustration and writing, including the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration.
