 As church bells chime, young Anna and her restless father prepare to attend her mother’s funeral, though the funeral, death, and grief are never mentioned in the text. They fly through a hole in the sky and make their way to heaven. Their world becomes dreamlike and surreal with floating mailboxes, flying elephants, cooing sea urchins, and even an Elvis cameo. They take turns questioning, imagining, and commenting. This is their pathway to peace. A hopeful ending shows Anna comforting her now-smiling father and strawberries raining down from the sky. Beautiful language and fantastic photo collages don’t give answers, just space for questions about life’s mysteries. Anna’s Heaven may not be appropriate for some public schools, since there is a discussion of God in the story. mjw |
| Title: Anna’s Heaven Author: Stian Hole Illustrator: Stian Hole Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2014 Original Language: Norwegian Translator: Don Bartlett Original Title: Anna’s himmel Original Publisher: Cappelen Damm Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5441-4 Hardcover pages: 42 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Norwegian Author’s residence: Norway Illustrator’s ethnicity: Norwegian Illustrator’s residence: Norway Awards: 2015 USBBY Outstanding International Books Grades 3-5 Subjects: Daughters, Death, Dying, Fathers, Social issues |
Anna’s Heaven
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