One of only two books I have seen for young children that deal with the specific subject of suicide (the other being 'Luna's Red Hat', also published by JKP) this one tells of the suicide of Rafi's well-loved father. Rafi and his dad love to play with racing cars together, and Rafi's red car usually wins, much to his delight. But one day his dad doesn't feel like playing any more, and in fact he doesn't feel like doing anything. Mummy explains that he is ill in his head: 'his feelings get all muddled up... causing him to feel very sad and very worried'. Rafi wants to help but doesn't know how. When dad disappears one day and doesn't come back, mummy must explain that the feelings in daddy's head have made him end his own life because he couldn't find any other way for them to stop. Rafi finds this very confusing and frightening. Might mum do the same thing? He can't sleep and sometimes has tummy aches. At school he feels different from the other children and is often naughty and angry. When he meets Ellie, the school therapist, she plays games with him and together they draw pictures. Soon he is feeling a bit better and finds he can talk to her about how he feels. She is reassuring and explains that his dad's death is not his fault. 'Things just happen, she says.' Mum has ways to help him too. They make a book of pictures of dad; they plant a tree in the garden with red leaves in the autumn because that was dad's favourite colour; on his birthday they release balloons into the air. And mum learns to play with the racing cars too! There is a happy ending for Rafi and his mother, but they always know they will remember and love dad. Several pages of help for parents at the end of the book are useful not only for the initial stages of loss and grieving but for years after when children can continue to need support and help. The illustrations are warm, cuddly and colourful, and as Rafi and his parents are rabbits, there is also the helpful distancing of the problem just that little bit. Rafi is a child, but because he is shown to be a rabbit, we can accept the story as a story while learning how to cope as well. Beautifully done in every way! Available from Amazon, from book shops, and from the publisher: www.jkp.com.