"A Difficult Thing" by Silvia Vecchini takes a unique approach to conveying the importance of admitting mistakes through a two-tone, wordless comic format. While the message is undeniably powerful, my personal experience with the book left me with mixed feelings.

The absence of words, though a deliberate stylistic choice, became a major hurdle for my engagement with the narrative. The reliance solely on illustrations made it challenging to grasp the subtleties of the story, and I found myself longing for a more nuanced exploration of the themes presented. As a reader, I missed the depth that words could have provided to enhance the storytelling.

Despite my personal reservations, it's essential to acknowledge that this book may find its audience among parents and children who appreciate a more visually-driven narrative. The illustrations are beautifully rendered, and the concept of conveying such a vital lesson without words is ambitious and commendable. For parents seeking a tool to discuss the importance of admitting mistakes with their children, this book could serve as a valuable resource.

The central message about the power of the word "sorry" is universal and important for children and adults alike. The simplicity of the narrative may resonate with some readers, particularly those who are drawn to the graphic novel format in children's fiction. While it didn't align with my personal preferences, I recognize that different readers may find value in its simplicity and visual storytelling.

In conclusion, "A Difficult Thing" may not have been to my taste due to its lack of words and exclusive reliance on illustrations. However, for parents and children open to exploring a more visual approach to storytelling, it could serve as a meaningful conversation starter about the significance of admitting mistakes. The book's inherent message remains valuable, even if its execution may not resonate universally.

This is a really different book with no dialogue or text to read. Instead all the pages are just pictures, in the blue/grey shades you see on the cover. There is a definitive story; I could absolutely The Difficult Thing having some good traction with anyone who struggles to read, autistic children, or those who benefit from a more visual experience. An ADHD diagnosed child I know would really love this book as they wouldn't have to do anything but interpret the photos; which is what they like to do when reading comics and kids books (that have photos) anyways. I'm told by them that reading is 'overrated'. Obviously I disagree but I can't discount their opinion as being true for them.
A great little book to put in daycares/day homes, in waiting rooms, and the like. I believe there is a book that could speak to a number of children and adults. And if not, it has no words so it doesn't take long to flip through.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

A comic mostly with cute two-toned illustrations. The characters were adorable. This graphic novel gives the message out. Nice way of story-telling.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone with a child will know the problems with trying to help them learn the difference between right and wrong, and perhaps the most important thing involved in that is being able to admit when you are wrong and learning from it. Diamond Book Distributors has released a book all about that sort of thing for young readers called A Difficult Thing: The Importance of Admitting Mistakes by Silvia Vecchini. I normally do not review children's books on here, but I was unaware of how short this was when I was given the ability to do a review for it, and I figured - "why not?"

This book is very short at just 24 pages, and with that almost none of the pages have any dialogue meaning that this is definitely for VERY young readers. The story involves a dog that is seen chasing something down a hill, he retrieves it, walks up a huge hill that is revealed to be a mountain of some sort, apologizes to his friend and hands the object to him. We realize there must have been a fight and our main character must have broken the item, a wagon, out of protest. The two repair the wagon and continue onwards together. The story is simple and has large monochromatic pictures that should be easy for younger eyes. Taking the fact of what this book is in mind, this is a fine children's book.

'A Difficult Thing: The Importance of Admitting Mistakes' with story and art by Silvia Vecchini is an almost wordless graphic novel for young readers.

In a story told in 2 colors and one word, we learn the importance of admitting mistakes. The story starts as a kind of mystery as we meet a young dog in search of something. It all becomes clear as the story progresses.

The important thing here is not what led to this story. That is left to the imagination. The important thing is what is done to make things right. The illustrations are nice and the story is easy to follow.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I wish this one had a little more depth, but it was great to read a story about someone struggling with their mistakes.

Short and sweet book on the difficulties of facing your mistakes. Drawn in a two-tone blue palette, this story takes shape of a child walking up a hill to meet their friend to apologise for breaking their belonging. The build up and then the apology reflects the apprehension felt when you are in the wrong, with the illustration of walking uphill depicts the struggle to face your mistake.
A sweet and charming way to teach a child about apologising, accessible for all ages. Open style lends to open it up for a discussion on the theme and a gentle way to handle this subject.

Odd that the book is subtitled The Importance Of Admitting Mistakes when those words are nowhere to be found in the copy I was sent. Not that there are many words at all in this book, which is a gorgeously illustrated, deceptively simple parable acknowledging how hard it is to say sorry but how worthwhile in the end.

We follow a young dog in a cyanotype-tinted landscape as he makes amends to the friend he wronged. The struggle to do the right thing is echoed in the metaphor of the difficult terrain he must traverse, which slowly warms and lightens as he apologizes and helps to make right what went awry. As far as story goes, it's not terribly complicated or long, but the thoughtfulness of the art, whether it be in the friends' distinct expressions or in the perfectly evoked weather conditions and their effects on the characters, is absolutely stunning. Silvia Vecchini and Sualzo do amazing things with pacing just by going in for close-ups then zooming out again, and working with layers of color to signify shadow and light. The meditative aspect of this book is superb, with the art inviting you to linger over each page while you empathize with the hesitancy and struggle of the protagonist to keep working towards earning forgiveness.

I've never read anything by these creators before but definitely would again. Highly recommended for all children (tho not necessarily in the Adobe Digital Edition I read. I swear that format was designed to pain the reader in exchange for entertainment.)

A Difficult Thing by Silvia Vecchini & Sualzo was published September 28 2021 by Ablaze and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781950912438">Bookshop!</a>

If you're looking for a starter level graphic novel with a powerful message, this is it. A Difficult Thing: The Importance of Admitting Mistakes is magical. The illustrations completely tell the story. Only one word is present: sorry. As a school librarian, I am sharing this with my school counselor for her to share with students. It would also be a wonderful teaching book on "how to read graphic novels" as the pictures really tell the story.

The illustrations in this mostly wordless story are really sweet and cute, and I love the two-tone color scheme. However, the message promised by the title isn't clear at all- it feels like we're seeing the aftermath of the mistake perhaps, but if you disregard the title, the story seems to be about an accident. We see an anthropomorphized dog find a broken wheel at the base of a hill. He climbs up the hill, with the weather changing from springlike to wintry, and finds an anthropomorphized chicken on the other side, sad about his broken riding toy. The dog hands the wheel to the chicken and says "Sorry," then the two fix the toy together and ride off happily. I'm sure we're supposed to assume the dog caused whatever happened that broke the wheel of the toy, but there's no hint of that in the illustrations, though it could be a decent story about helping others, so there's that. And as I said, the illustrations are really nice!

#ADifficultThingTheImportanceofAdmittingMistakes #NetGalley

The illustrations were super cute telling a short story mostly without words. I loved the illustrations and the adorable characters. However, I think the concept missed its mark. It was not quite clear how the illustrations showed or related to admitting mistakes. It could definitely be used in a lesson about inferencing or paying attention to details!

I'm not sure that the intent of this book is going to come through for the average reader. There is nothing clear in the pages to indicated that the main character has made a mistake resulting in the toy being broken, just the "I'm sorry" at the end. While I can see what Vecchini was aiming for I don't know that that end is achieved.

Beautifully and simply told. This short graphic novel illustrates with lovely simplicity just how difficult admitting that you made a mistake is and how important it is to own up to it and say that very hard, "Sorry."
I really like how it gets the point across without getting too preachy or after-school special. It's a lovely, quick read that you can enjoy with younger kids. It accomplishes what it set out to do.

Happy thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Ablaze for the early read!

I also have had issues with lagging on both my laptop and Netgalley phone app due to the large file size, which is very strange since the PDF is only 24 pages long.

From what I was able to read, this book still isn't that good. The story has no character names, which wouldn't be a problem if the book didn't feel incomplete. There isn't really a story either -- it feels like we're watching 10 seconds of a scene of a larger story play out. We don't see how the wagon wheel got broken. All we see is the boy dog character retrieve it from the side of a hill. Even using context clues, it appears that the wheel breaking off was an accident and not the fault of the boy dog himself. I get that you can show children anything so it doesn't matter if it's good or bad. But the fact that the title is so self-important, saying that the book is about "The Importance of Admitting Mistakes" (a lesson that even teens and adults should be re-taught), this book does not deliver on what it is promising you. There's also almost no dialogue, which means this book wouldn't even be a good read-aloud or bedtime story. At least the blue-and-white art is decently drawn.

The one good message that this book teaches is that real apologies don't just come from saying "Sorry", but from actually attempting to fix the mistake that you made. I would argue it should go even further than that, that one should promise to change their own behavior so that they don't make that mistake again (which is especially important if the original mistake cannot be remedied). But again, there is NO indication that the wheel breaking off was the dog character's fault! Especially since he puts the wheel back and they both climb on and ride off together, it seems like it's just going to break again not long after the story ends. There are far better children's books out there that I would recommend, including ones that actually effectively teach the lesson they're trying to teach.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every child, at some point, makes mistakes and must learn to deal with and admit those mistakes. This charming, two-tone, wordless comic deals with that very lesson and shows just how powerful the word "sorry" is. This beautifully rendered volume is a good lesson for children and adults alike.
A cute little children's book. A great learning imparted in a entertaining way.

Drawn in a style reminiscent of the Mutts cartoons by Patrick McDonnell, this wordless book will draw in young "readers". They will be able to narrate the story in their own words (in whatever language they wish). I have one minor complaint. While Vecchini obviously had a specific (and good) narrative attached to the story, as indicated in the sub-title, I don't think that needed to be so obvious. I want space to allow kids to give their own interpretations of the text which may or may not be exactly the same as "the importance of admitting mistakes". The purpose would be better kept for back matter addressed to adults. Still a book I will be recommending to parents, teachers and librarians.

I love the blue tones of this picture book and the super adorable renderings of a puppy and a chicken. I love the two characters.

Super cute and short picture book for the littles. It only has one word: a powerful and perfect word for the situation.

There's some super detailed illustrations on page - so take the time to look closely.

Sorry folks, this just didn't resonate with me. It's a tiny comic with no words, only okay artwork and a thin story. It may too big for kids to understand (metaphors yo) but too small for adults to take the time to care about.

Two and a half stars, rounding up to three.
Coming September 2021.

Cute illustrations telling a brief story mostly without words. I loved the illustrations, the limited color scheme, and the adorable characters. However, for me, the concept missed its mark. I’m not sure if I needed dialogue to clarify what was happening, or more detail in the illustrations. I’m afraid I don’t see how the story being told in the illustrations relates to admitting mistakes.

I am grateful to Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review A Difficult Thing.