The Laugh
Fay Evans and Ayse Klinge
Flying Eye Books

‘There was once a lady who had the loveliest laugh in the world.’ This lady laughed both loudly and quietly, sometimes with others, sometimes to herself; her laugh was contagious

and always full of love, no matter how it sounded. But then one day, that lovely lady becomes ill and dies, and with her dies the laughter.

The lady has left a great big hole in the world.

Her little girl can’t find the laughter, no matter where she searches. Then unexpectedly, something funny happens and the girl laughs again.

This moving look at a child navigating loss is such a beautiful tribute to a mother whose presence in her child’s life is enormous. The author of the third person narrative acknowledges that after a loved one’s death the family affected are unable to ‘move on’ – and indeed don’t want to but ends on a positive suggestion that the possibility of laughter returning is in fact, welcome. Ayse Klinge’s warm, comforting mixed-media illustrations convey strong emotions throughout as the book moves from joyful laughter, to sadness and then to laughter once more.

This book would be an invaluable resource for any young child who is grieving for a loved one.