"Waiting for Wolf" by Sandra Dieckmann (Hodder Children's Books)

Books that sensitively deal with the subject of loss and grief are very much a source of interest for us. It's a very tough thing to get absolutely right in a children's picture book, and in "Waiting for Wolf" by Sandra Dieckmann, Sandra builds a simple story of a friendship between a fox and a wolf.

When life is good it feels like it could last forever, but Wolf is level-headed - and begins to prepare Fox for a day when he might not be around any more.

Fox doesn't understand at first, but begins to see things from a different perspective, recalling Wolf's wisdom and words of comfort, and imagining what happens to us all when we eventually pass.

Sandra's evocative artwork is surreal and glorious, drawing you into the tale and establishing a strong visual theme that helps to underpin the core message of the book so perfectly.

Ethereal, stunning, and lovely work. Let's take a look at a couple of interior pages...

When life is good, it feels like it could last forever for the two friends, Fox and Wolf

A strong friendship and wise words from Wolf

Sum this book up in a sentence: A quite beautiful and ethereal story of friendship, loss and grief and how we cope when we lose those we love.

"Waiting for Wolf" by Sandra Dieckmann is out now, published by Hodder Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).