Rebecca by Kate Beaton & Sydney Smith
I am very pleased to present two starred reviews for my upcoming picture book, Rebecca.
I wrote this book a few years ago. I had a very difficult time with the picture book contract I had, I kept writing sad stories, instead of the funny stories I had signed on for. And these stories were raw and unready for anything. But in writing picture books, I try to access the child I was for that truth of communication to the audience in question. Only, if I went back to childhood, my sister was there, and I could not access anything other than the monumental pain of her loss. There is no childhood of mine without her in it. So I would write, and all I could make were these unpublishable sad things. My publisher, my agent and I talked about giving the advance back, it seemed like the reasonable thing to do.
Unpredictably, the pandemic hit at that point, and my publishers sort of forgot about me in the wake of this enormous crisis, and I let it lie, and didn't think about picture books anymore. I had a baby, I was busy.
By 2021, I had two babies. I would spend a lot of time at night lying beside them in the dark, waiting for them to fall asleep. My kids were never the type that you could put into bed and leave the room, you had to (and we still have to) be there with them. But we didn't mind. You might be there in that little room for an hour, quiet and dark, awake, waiting for the moment you can tip-toe out. It is a rare time of just you and your thoughts, no screens, no noise, nothing to even really look at, and these small little bodies breathing softly beside you. Your mind wanders, but can also think meticulously. You become very aware of your deeper thoughts, like meditating. Which is funny, because I could never meditate.
I wrote Rebecca in those quiet hours. Line by line, in my head, kind of like carving something out piece by piece. It was no longer that raw, savage grief, but something more ordinary. It was the thing that you live with the rest of your days after losing someone you love, and that is what Rebecca is about. For me, it was cathartic, it was something that I needed to write in order to move forward and find humour again.
I gave the words to my publisher. I didn't know if they would want it. Ducks wasn't out yet, I wasn't known for serious work. I didn't really think they'd want that from me. But I'm honoured that they said yes.
I did not want to illustrate this book. I know I don't have the chops for it, and even if I did, I don't think I could have handled it emotionally. I told my editor the only person I wanted was Sydney Smith. If you know Sydney's work, you know he can do things with emotion and nature like no one else. That his work can be subtle but deeply, deeply affecting. If anyone could evoke what I was hoping for, it would be him. And I am glad to have known Sydney for a while now, but he's at the top of his game, and in high demand. I will be grateful forever that he took this book on, because it's the most beautiful thing that ever will have my name on it, and it is all because of him. And lord, it is beautiful.
Early on, he sent me "sketches" that looked like these, and I was like, I could work for 10000 years and my finished work wouldn't hold candle to these things.
Before anyone tries to reassure me that I have talent, I definitely agree, I have my strengths. I am extremely grateful for my strengths. I am the googly-eye master. But when you see someone you admire bring your words to life with astonishing beauty, you can't help but feel the highest respect for them, you feel blessed. That is what I feel.
The finished art has so much that I could talk about, and I will when it doesn't seem like a bad time to post it as it's not even out yet. But yes, I will.
I think you will have noticed by now that it is not actually a book about my sister Becky. It isn't, and it is. My sister's name was Rebecca. Our grandmother's name was Rebecca. Our great-great-great-grandmother's name was Rebecca. And our great-great-great-great grandmother was the Rebecca in this story. Now, my little niece is Rebecca also. This story has been in the family for a long time. In writing about this ancestor, I was able to also write indirectly about someone who carried her name.
Her name was Rebecca Lombard, she was married to Captain David Smith of Truro, Massachusetts. After the American Revolution, they moved to what is now Port Hood Island, Cape Breton. Rebecca was pregnant with the last of their eight children in 1789 when Captain David went on the March ice to hunt seals, went into the water when the ice broke apart, and never came up. I think this post is long enough, so maybe I will talk more about this Rebecca another time. But those are the events of this story, and grief and love feel connected through time.
My nephew was three years old when our sister died. I remember looking for picture books for him, that spoke to something he was feeling. It is hard to say what he was feeling, except we all noticed how absorbing everything that was happening and making sense of it was a big job for him, and that it changed him. Maybe for some children, who are unburdened by loss as of yet, this will be a story with a lot of questions - and children do have many questions and ideas about death. My son told me the other day that "when old people is died, they are become skeletons." To which I said, "wow" because he is a small man of so many off the cuff facts like this. Maybe for some children though, this will be a story that will connect to them. I know on this end, we put our whole hearts into it, so we'll see.
Here are the reviews, from Kirkus, and from Publishers Weekly.
Comments (27)
I am always so grateful to read or look at pretty much anything you do. Thank you for upping my evening.
Coming from your "Hark! A Vagrant" and "The Princess and the Pony" (of which I am a proud owner) days, I had always associated you with funny historical stuff. But all the same, it doesn't do to put anyone in a box. I, a childless adult, am always sniffing around for excellent children's books (which are art forms unto themselves) where the art and the writing must both be excellent. What I mean is that they distil very Adult things into something that everyone can understand, even more so than a novel of many words. A good children's book is NEVER just for children (well, you already know this) - and is to art (or something) what poetry is to prose. I suspect yours will be one of those books. I started out collecting because I used to work with kids as a clinical psychologist. I mean. I am still a clinical psychologist, I just don't work with kids quite so much now. And I still collect picture books (my poor room is overrun with books), and I wish I was a dragon with a cave because I want to have them all. (Adult me says no, be reasonable. I'm not sure I'm ready for *that* much reasonableness. Just look at how many parentheses I write with, I can't escape them). All that is to say that I need this book and I am looking forward to its release.
As someone with a niece that experienced unexpected loss at a young age it was always hard do find things that spoke about grief in a way that wasn’t just “the dad is dead in the story” This looks so beautiful
Exquisite topic, writing, and art. Thank you for examining hard subjects.
Thank you, Kate. For being a model of making the art that needs making, instead of the art people simply expect. I saw Eddie Izzard's Hamlet recently, which she does as a one-woman show. Before she began she said, "for those of you who have attended expecting a standup set, I'm afraid that as Shakespeare moved from comedy to tragedy later in his career, so have I." She then proceeded to indeed perform the tragedy of Hamlet, but it was distinctly not without humor. I think that folks, and indeed many critics, often forget that they're tied together and not so easily delineated, especially the more we learn about the world and ourselves. Just thank you. Grief is hard. Can't wait to read this. 🖤
It looks good. How challenging was it to convince your publisher that you can make a serious picture book about sorrow and grief for 4-8 years old children?
No words!! ♥️
I am constantly looking for books that support or explore the emotional experiences my students (and my own children) may have. Thank you for writing this!
Just preordered from my local bookstore. That art is incredible!
Hey Kate. Evin here. You might remember, when we came to see you in October at Munros, I brought my partner and our friend Christine with us. She was a fan of yours far before she met us, and it was really special to be able, thanks to you and your recognition of me, let her say hi and meet you, and to have you sign her Wednesday the cat tote bag. Her 34th birthday was on December 23rd, and tragically she passed away on Christmas night, after coming home from dinner with her aunt and cousin. Not for any real reason, though she did have a few minor health things that may have overlapped at the worst time, but nothing insanely traumatic or anything like that, just an incredibly heartbreaking random chance. Her celebration of life was last weekend. Turns out her mom's side of the family go back to Cape Breton, too. She was born and grew up in Calgary and did love it dearly, but her heart was out here, in Victoria, which is why she went to school and settled here. Maybe the coastal, island girl soul just has to find peace with waves nearby. But hearing stories of her going back and seeing family in Nova Scotia, an aspect of her I didn't know while she was with us, was really nice to hear. Turns out, in Calgary, she actually /grew up with my cousins/ and we had /no/ idea until after she died and one of my cousins, who all live in Calgary, reached out with sadness, telling me how they used to take the bus to school, and would hang out sometimes, and how Christine would introduce her to anime and other stuff. Which absolutely checks out. I just wish I had known before she was gone, so I could say "wait, what the fuck? you knew my COUSINS what the hell why is this country so small" so meeting one of her aunts who was out for the celebration but lives on Cape Breton, after we had just relatively recently shared you with her, it was just too weird to not share here. I don't know, there's a lot of people she was a fan of, that I have this desire to reach out and be like "I feel like you should know that one of your fans has passed. Someone who derived joy and laughs and togetherness from the things you do and did has left this world. They invested themselves in you, but to you they were a stranger" which makes it kind of weird when I don't, yknow, share all her interests in music or videogames or streamers or whatever, but we shared you, so on this occasion, on this post in particular, I felt like sharing that news with you. I'm sorry if it's sad, it is, but I think she'd like to know that you thought about her, about the loss of her, her absence. It seems fair to me, somehow. That everyone she loved, no matter how personally, should understand the hole she leaves behind. We made sure to keep her Wednesday bag.
Thank you for this, Kate. I will read this book to my daughter. Two years ago our dog passed away and then one year ago my mom passed away. My daughter really learned about death with my dog, but in the way of "I miss the dog and want a dog" but I don't think she quite grasped my mom dying. She was 5, now she's 7 and we're looking down way at her great grandma going into hospice, and this time she understands death and understands what might be in store soon. I think this is a wonderful tool to help us through this part of life and greif.
I know I just posted a comment, but what platform helps you the most for me to buy from?
I'm 30 and I feel like I still need this book. My dad and my good friend died within 3 months of each other this/last year and reading your post here I was tearing up. I can tell I still have a lot of grief I'm not feeling and it really helps to see others feel theirs, I think
The absolute dream team of creators! Those images are stunning! I cannot wait to get my copy. As the author of a "grief" picture book, based on the loss of my brother, I was also blown away by the artist's (Crystal Smith) rendition of my words. I've done many classroom visits with the book and constantly surprised at how little ones understand metaphor and crave understanding of death. Just last week, a young boy selected the book (Maybe A Whale) over other lighter ones, even when I told him it was kind of sad, and about losing a loved one. I'm so happy to see yours added to the mix. Will grab some tissues before I read it xo
This is really beautiful. And it made me cry which thank you because I lost my mom recently and I’ve barely been able to cry about it.
This sounds and looks so beautiful Kate. I cant wait to read it.
This looks like a beautiful collaboration. I can’t wait to sit down with this and give it a read.
I just discovered Sydney Smith last month when I picked up a copy of "Island Storm" at my local book store. My kids love it, and I love reading it to them. This pairing feels like a match made in heaven! I'm so looking forward to reading this <3
This is wonderful and appropriate. I've been bawling my eyes out to Sydney Smith pictures since Town Is By The Sea.
Looks lovely.
I already pre-ordered it the last time you mentioned it, and I'm so glad I did. This sounds like it will chew up my heart, spit it out, and then cradle it. Looking forward to it.
Hey, not just googly eyes! You do killer side-eyes too. The artwork looks fantastic. I look forward to seeing it!
I was thinking about what your little nephew said, about skeletons. Of course, this loss is not even a comparison to losing someone like a sister or an aunt - so please do not think I am trivialising that gaping, constant pain - but I have noticed my niece will often ask me, with a slightly questioning manner, "Stella [my old cat] is buried in the garden, isn't she? But she'll always be with you, won't she?". She sounds calm but because she has asked me this so often over the last couple of years, and because Stella was her first experience with death (when she was about 4), I can sense that she's feeling her way through it and seeking reassurance. Because it is very destabilising - the physical absence of someone or something that was always there, and is only "gone" based on the say-so of the grownups. Stella's body is buried in the garden. Her soul is with me. She's trying to reassure herself by confirming where she disappeared to. Books like yours that give children the space to seek that reassurance, I think, have an important role. I think we all remember picture books we read as children that taught us about loss and grief. I am sorry for the long boring essay. The art is beautiful. Congratulations on the wonderful achievement. I look forward to buying it for my nephew (and for me). (Niece is on chapter books now and very proud of the fact!)
No there's nothing trivial about your niece and the cat! My kids lost our dog last year, and my daughter still cries regularly. My son saw the dead animal and mostly felt scared by the eyes still open. The first death they ever experienced was one of the chickens, and my daughter would tell literally everyone that her favourite chicken died. It was definitely not her favourite, she had no favourites hah. I think she was looking to see what this meant, people's reactions. It is a lot for children to try and understand - it is a lot for adults to try and understand!
Thank you for this. I lost my brother in law to suicide, partly because of his unresolved grief over losing his mother during the pandemic, and this was the type of book I needed for my nephew, who was 6 at the time. He is 10 now, but he still needs this type of book. As do I. As does my sister. Thank you.
I’ll be glad and thankful to read this someday. Thank you as always for sharing.
Wow, I’m really looking forward to this. My daughter was barely one year old when my sister suddenly died—and her girls were just three and five. It’s hard to find books that speak to their experiences. This looks so lovely, thank you for sharing your creative process with it.