About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is carrying an invisible weight, whether from a significant loss, a friend moving away, or a period of inexplicable sadness. Through a gentle metaphor, it helps children visualize and name the heavy feelings that often feel too big for words. The story follows Elba, a hippopotamus who drags a heavy black block everywhere, and her friend Norris, an alligator who literally dances through life surrounded by butterflies. While Norris cannot take the block away, his patient presence shows children how friendship and time can make the burden easier to carry. This is an essential choice for teaching empathy and emotional resilience. It provides a secular, metaphorical framework for discussing grief without being overly didactic, making it appropriate for children aged four to eight who are navigating life's more difficult transitions.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book deals with grief and loss through a purely metaphorical lens. The block represents the burden of sadness. The approach is secular and highly symbolic, offering a hopeful but realistic resolution: the sadness doesn't disappear entirely, but it becomes integrated and lighter over time.
