The illustrations are rather nice but the story left a lot to be desired. I appreciate what the author is trying to do - but I think this misses the mark. I imagine this book creating more questions than answers to a child learning about death. I'm honestly having a difficult time thinking about an instance where I would recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

The creatures in this book find there friend the song bird who they think is sleeping. But with further examination they determine he has died. They have to figure out what to do with the bird now.
A sweet look at dealing with and talking about death.
Muted colors in the illustrations help too.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

When I saw that "Is It Asleep" was a child's book about sort of unexpectedly dealing with a death...I was not expecting the approach that this book took. I don't think it was necessarily bad, I just don't think it translates very well for a child to understand what death me and what are some ways to respond to that. I also found the block text of this story to feel a bit separated from the actual illustrations. I think if you are aware of an upcoming death and has a child who sees things in very black and white, that this may be helpful to explain some sort of next steps - otherwise I don't think it's a must have.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Author Oliver Tallec has penned a sweet, touching picture book about three forest friends dealing with death. Adults will love this book as much as their children.

In the interest of complete disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group and Gecko Press™ in exchange for an honest review

"Is it asleep" is a beautifully illustrated tale that touches very gently on the topic of death. Without context, this could be little morbid, sure, but death is something that touches as all at some point. This is an easy way to introduce it to small minds without being overwhelming or upsetting.

I don't think I would recommend this as a must add to the bookshelf kind of thing, but if your littles have lost someone or have someone in their lives who they may loose, I think the book could be used as a tool to prepare them or ease the pain.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I lost my childhood dog recently and it's been an incredibly difficult thing to process. Although we understand death as a concept, it doesn't feel real until you experience the loss of someone who meant so much to you. I think this book did an excellent job of portraying that initial state of confusion or denial, and the sense that time stretches beyond what feels natural. Overall, it holds a very calm and friendly introduction to the experience of grief.

Netgalley ARC - 4.5 stars. This is a gentle and exploratory picture book that introduces concepts of grief and death without being too overwhelming and while still finding hope.

Squirrel and best friend, Pock go searching for blackbird and have to confront a sensitive topic after realizing blackbird isn’t sleeping. The anthropomorphized animals and mushroom create a lighter and friendly atmosphere for delivering a potentially heavy topic. The story lightly touches on grief and what actions are appropriate for their situation. Ultimately, we are then left with the idea that we can memorialize the deceased and that the world keeps spinning. This book could be thought provoking for a child already familiar with grief and death, but might be too blunt as an introduction to the topic.

As an adult, I can’t resist digging deeper into the imagery. This text was translated from French and the story felt very French. The illustrations of the characters being bug-eyed may go unnoticed to a child, but made me feel like they were in a constant state of existential dread. The setting being fall and leaves changing colors/dying because the trees are going dormant/sleeping, feels reflective of the story’s themes of sleep and death. Overall, I enjoyed this and appreciate there being so many layers present in this children’s story.

Review will be posted to GoodReads on 08/05/2025.