You Hold Me And I'll Hold You

by Jo Carson

When a great-aunt dies, a young child finds comfort in being held and in holding, too.

Genres: Death, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

About the author

Jo Carson was a playwright, poet, fiction writer, performer, author of children's books, and NPR commentator.

Her books highlight voice and narrative, such as the popular collection of first-person persona poems Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet. She devoted many years to developing community theater and storytelling projects.

Reviews

[Megan Conroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that shows that death is something that everyone experiences in one way or another and that everything will turn out okay eventually. This book is also about the relationship this young girl has with her father and how much relationships and those important people around you can impact the way that you deal with something like death. The illustrations are very old-school and look almost like watercolors which almost add to the mournful story as well. This is a good book to expose young children to the idea of death and coping with that through relationships.

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

#grief #family #death #YoungReaders #PictureBook #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #amreading When a little girl attends a #funeral she learns the #joy of a #hug from her #father

[Jeani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is relatable.

[Ana Fogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Hold Me And I'll Hold You is a very sweet and sentimental story about death, more particularly how it's perceived by children. While I haven't yet experienced much death within my family, I am getting to an age where it's becoming more frequent. I was brought to tears thinking about the time I visited my birthplace when my great-grandmother on my mom's side was days away from dying. I tried to be strong for everyone else while they cried, but my little heart wanted to cry too. This is a wonderful piece of art that should be shared with children and adults alike. Learning about death and how to feel about it is a lifelong learning curve and this book does a great job at putting this experience into words.

[Dashia Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Hold Me and I'll Hold You, written by Jo Carson, is a fictional children's literature for children aged 4-7 years old. This book is about a small girl who lives with only her father because her mom decided to leave them. The little girl hears the phone ring and finds out that her father's aunt has died and they must drive to Tennessee for the funeral. She worries about how different the funeral will be from her backyard service for their pet hamster. She notices that she experienced different emotions in a church when relatives cry and when a preacher is saying all the stuff he's thought of. The book teaches children that death is enormous and that comfort from the one you love the most is most precious. I feel that this book would be interesting to children because a lot of children experience death every day and more than enough children have only one parent to rely on. I feel as if single mothers have a lot of support from people, but single dads don't really receive the recognition they deserve. This book does a great job at shining a light on the awesome dads that raise their children on their own. This book gives an insight on how children deal with death and how they compare their own experiences to real life. The book has detailed pictures and the colors are bright which catches the readers attention. The type of language the little girl uses throughout the book is something that children can relate to. It sounds like the words came from a child instead of an adult. I enjoyed the fact that it showed all of the characters dealing with their emotions because kids often feel like they have to hide how they feel or either lash out. The little girl shows a great way to deal with sadness by receiving comfort from her father.

[Casey Reyes]

You Hold Me and I'll Hold You is a realistic fiction story by Jo Carson. The story is about a young girl's perception of death after her great aunt passed away. The young girl is being raised by her father and has a mother who left her after the divorce. This book would be interesting to children due to the fact that they could be able to relate to it and understand that death is something everyone experiences. During the funeral, the girl walks into the chapel and begins to see different members of her family crying. After the girl is told it is okay to cry, she sits on her father's lap and begins to tear up. The father then tells the girl that he will hold her and she will hold him. This phrase represents the importance of family and how family is always there for each other no matter what type of situations. I liked the pictures in this book because they were relatable to each scenario and were done in water color. Since some of the pictures had faces missing from the pictures, it would allow the reader to visualize his/her family in the character's place and think about what would happen if it was their family going through this type of situation.

[Katie Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about death, but told through a child's perspective. It was interesting to read. I like that it's told in a child's perspective because when children read it they'll be able to relate to the girl (if they've ever been through something similar) or they'll be able to understand that's what happens when someone dies. I like the title and how it tied into the story. At the end when her father is crying, he pulls her into his lap and whispers, "You hold me and I'll hold you." That is exactly what the child needed to hear, and it made her feel better. The girl compared her aunt's death to the death of her friend's goldfish, because that's the only other death she's known. I would read this book to my students if I thought they needed to hear it, but it's not a book I would just pick up and read to them on a whim.

[Mary]

This is a sweet story about a little girl who has to go to a memorial service for her dad's aunt. It tells what happens at a funeral in very simple age appropriate text. There is one quick mention that her mom left because she didn't want to live with them anymore. It sounds like a sad story, but it isn't. It answers lots of questions for children when someone dies in their family and ends with tender moments. Death is a part of life. Often times we don't want to address death in our classroom. This book is a good way to talk about sad feelings when someone dies. This story will prompt many responses about people or pets dying. I like to let the children express their feelings. Sometimes it will be an explanation for a child's change of behavior.