Where is Poppy?
Annotation
Where Is Poppy? is a picture book about a young Jewish child experiencing Passover without her grandfather. Everything about the holiday feels familiar, but Poppy’s absence changes the celebration. As the child looks for him in the people, foods, stories, and traditions around her, the book gently shows how love and memory can stay present after someone dies.
This is a strong fit for families, classrooms, and libraries looking for a grief book that is not only about sadness, but also about remembrance, cultural tradition, and family connection. It may be especially meaningful as a mirror for Jewish children grieving a loved one, while also offering other readers a window into how holidays can hold both joy and loss.
Sensitivity Notice
This book centers on a child missing a beloved grandparent during Passover. It explores grief through family memories and tradition in a gentle, age-appropriate way.
Practical Uses
• Family Use
Supports caregivers in talking with children about the death of a grandparent or beloved older family member. Especially useful around holidays, when grief can resurface because someone’s absence feels more noticeable. The book gives families a gentle way to talk about remembering someone through traditions, favorite foods, stories, and shared rituals.
• Therapy / Counseling
May be helpful for counselors or grief support workers helping children name the feeling of missing someone during family gatherings or important holidays. The story can support conversations about continuing bonds, memory, and how a loved one can still feel present through the things they taught or loved.
• School & Educational Settings
Appropriate for classroom, library, or school counseling use when discussing grief, family traditions, holidays, or remembrance. It may also support lessons or displays connected to Passover, Jewish family life, intergenerational relationships, or how different families honor loved ones.
• Faith & Cultural Settings
Well-suited for synagogue libraries, Jewish schools, family programming, and holiday book collections. It offers a grief story rooted in Jewish tradition without making the book feel only informational or holiday-specific.
Illustration Notes
Dana Wulfekotte’s illustrations use soft, muted colors, simple shapes, and generous white space to give the story a quiet, reflective feeling. The people are shown mostly in grayscale, while the backgrounds and surrounding details use color, which helps the family scenes feel gentle and emotionally focused without becoming too heavy.
The artwork keeps attention on small moments of memory, family connection, and Passover tradition. The open space on the page gives young readers room to sit with the child’s feelings, while the soft color backgrounds keep the book warm and approachable. The visual style supports the story’s grief gently, showing absence and remembrance without making the experience feel frightening or overwhelming.
Awards & Reception
No major literary awards or bestseller lists known
Book Profile
Browse this title by category, theme, tone, age range, and reader context.
- Story Themes
- familyGrief & Lossmemory
- Age Range
- Early Childhood (4-7)
- Languages
- English
The Storystead is an educational book discovery resource, not therapy or individualized mental health advice.