Illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill. 32 p., Tilbury, 2009.
One way to maintain a connection with someone who has died is to do things that person did. In this story, Becky and her bother, John, love to play soccer. John is a goalie, and he encourages Becky to be one too. But they agree that then they couldn't practice together, so she drops the idea. After John's death, Becky feels sad, lonely, incomplete, and occasionally angry. Her parents are reassuring, and the family dog is a special support, always loving her. Slowly, Becky is able to find moments of joy in everyday life. When soccer season approaches, Dad offers to play goalie in practice with her. But she finds herself impatient with Dad's limited goalie skills and takes his place - making the important discovery that she has John's goalie skills within her. She has realized that John is always with her, inside. In deciding to be her team's goalie, she completes her mourning process. Although John's death is mentioned very abruptly - perhaps reflecting Becky's experience of it - and nothing about its cause is mentioned, this story offers children hope for healing from grief.
Ages: 7-11
Cultural Context: multicultural
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