Alex is three when this story begins. He and his Dad are going on a boys only trip, and they are having a really special, wonderful time - until Dad starts to feel poorly, and Alex must go for help. The ambulance that comes is loud, and Alex doesn't want his Dad to go in it. When Mum arrives on the scene, she must tell Alex that Dad has died and won't be coming back. Her explanation is a fine one for a young child. She explains that Dad's heart has stopped working, and when this happens, a person dies. 'When it stops beating, you can't breathe any more. You can't run around, or walk, or talk, or laugh, or wear little boys on your head, or tickle anybody.' There are lots and lots of questions to be answered, and Alex and Mum spend hours talking about where Dad has gone, why the ambulance people couldn't help him, and what will happen at the crematorium, and will all the people there cry, and is Mum going to die too, and if she does, who will take care of Alex and his little sister Olivia. All his questions are answered with gentle understanding, quite perfect for a very young child. Ultimately, he wants to know how many 'sleeps' it will be before he has to die. Mum takes the children to the beach, and they collect lots of shells - 'still a tiny number compared to the number of sleeps most people have before they die.' When Alex is four, he has a lovely monster party, and he is learning that there are happy as well as sad times; he and his family will always love and remember Dad. Rarely has a book put such a difficult subject into words that small people can understand, and this one does it movingly and honestly. Written by Alex and his Mum, it tells us exactly what happened in their own family. The illustrations, too, perfectly reflect the strong emotions. Nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal in 2014, it embodies the best in writing and illustration for children. Available from Amazon, from good book shops, and from the publisher: www.jkp.com.