My Sister Is an Angeline

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Children’s books about the death of a sibling often fall into the
category of bibliotherapy, and this one is no exception. Although
sensitively written by a father (using the actual name of his own
deceased newborn), it is a clearly intended as a vehicle to help
families that have been similarly bereaved to communicate about the
experience. It is told from the perspective of a little girl who is
informing a friend about an infant sibling she never met, and includes a
religious parable about baby angels (or “angelines”) being welcomed
in heaven.

The illustrations are softly shaded black-and-white drawings that
depict Christian concepts traditionally—for example, they show God as
a benevolent grandfatherly figure, and angels as naked cherubs with
strategically placed ribbons. The illustrations accurately reflect the
text with the exception of the final page, when the “whole family”
is visiting the cemetery but only two living children are shown rather
than the three described earlier in the book.

For its intended use, it may indeed provide comfort to bereaved
Christian families, but for others it is not a first-choice purchase.