Author(s): Ej Carroll; Bianca Lavorgna

Social Issues | Local/Independent Authors

Andy’s brother has died.

One day, when he is sitting in his tree house feeling sad, the wind blows in a yellow leaf. As the leaf guides Andy and his new friend Grace through a colourful forest of emotion, they discover that the path of grief is travelled one step at a time.

The Yellow Leaf is a story about two young children who find themselves brought together by unimaginable loss.

Andy's brother and Grace's mother have both died and they are left to process a multitude of feelings. The journey begins with a single yellow 'leaf of grief' that guides the pair through a colourful forest of emotion. Readers will be invited to gaze at the illustrations that show variations of anger, fear, worry, sadness and moments of happiness, helping children to understand that grief is not linear and that there is no perfect way to grieve.

Co-authored by child bereavement counsellor Bianca Lavorgna, the book purposely uses concrete language so children can name what has happened and begin to process their feelings. The wonderful illustrations drawn by Australia's very own well-known Caroline Keys provide a visual for children to identify with and point to as a way of expressing themselves if they don't feel like talking yet.