The Whatif Monster Chapter Book Series: A Sad Time for Tori

A Readers' Favorite 5-Star Review Winner!\nA Sad Time for Tori, an illustrated early reader in the multi-volumed Whatif Monster Chapter Book Series by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt, is about a boy, Jonathan James, and the green stripy-armed Whatif Monster who wish to console his friend, Tori, whose grandmother has passed away. Their friend, Sam, tells them how sad it made her feel when her dog died. They visit Tori, who is too sad to play, so they sit together with her to commiserate. When Tori asks why people have to die, Jonathan James repeats the wise words of his mother: “… death is a part of being alive.”\nThe Whatif Monster then gets the children to play a game involving Tori remembering “the best, silliest, craziest thing” that she could remember doing with her grandmother. This is only the start of a joyful guide in dealing with personal grief in childhood. Michelle Nelson-Schmidt’s A Sad Time for Tori is a compassionate story that should elicit positive feelings about death from its readers. A subject that can be difficult to consider is made more accessible by having a group of young children talk about it and have fun, even in the presence of grief, with the help of the friendly and empathic Whatif Monster. The multiple black-and-white illustrations effectively convey a sense of the friendliness of the children, and the use of direct speech enlivens the text and enables the different characters to assume their various roles in an interesting and stimulating way. I especially appreciate the fact that those who enjoy this book can read so many others in the same series, as well as the author having a website on which there are several free downloads.\nPerfect for the new reader to help build confidence in their reading skills as well as to help young ones navigate the worries both big and small in life. Type set in a dyslexic-friendly font.