What it's like to love and lose a granddad as a child

Published on: 19 June 2018 Author: Sophie Offord

Joseph Coelho has written a beautiful tribute to grandparents everywhere. This poetic picture book explores the loss of a grandfather through the eyes of a child – who soon learns how to keep their loving memories alive. 

If All the World Were by Joseph Coelho (beautifully illustrated by Allison Colpoys) is a gentle tale of imagination, joy and enduring love. 

It leads the reader through the close relationship between a grandad and his granddaughter, and all the fun they've had together. For much of the story, it's unclear whether the grandfather is alive or not or simply ill. Later, it turns out that this is because the little girl is keeping his memory alive in the things she writes and draws – and so, in a sense, he is always with her.

This picture book tugs at the heart strings but strikes the right tone for little ones – the loss is never drawn out or too heavy. It's perfect for three- to six-year-olds, or even older children who are happy with its daydreamy, poetic pace. There's a practical side to it all, too: how families can help their children to remember relatives and process bereavement.

You can see some of the pages from the book in our picture gallery below – they're heart-stoppingly gorgeous.