Synopsis
Grace lives next door to old Mr Milligan and his goat Charlie. They are the best of friends. But when Mr Milligan's beloved goat dies, everything changes. Will Grace be able to help her friend overcome his sadness?
Grace and Mr Milligan is a heart-warming story of grief, love and the healing power of friendship.
February 14, 2023
Young Grace, old Mr Milligan from next door and his goat Charlie regularly enjoy spending time together in their gardens and at the nearby beach, happily munching on fruit grown by Mr Milligan. Charlie, however, is ageing, and soon slides peacefully out of their lives. This is a delicate, wholesome, love-filled story about losing a friend and grieving, but it is also filled with joy—in the uncomplicated happiness of Grace’s friendship with her neighbours, and also in Pip Kruger’s lively and vivid illustrations, reminiscent of a bright Alison Lester world rendered with hints of Scandinavian folk art. Caz Goodwin handles Charlie’s death with tenderness and simplicity, keeping the event itself undramatic yet without euphemising it (Mr Milligan and Charlie quietly spend Charlie’s final days together until ‘Mr Milligan woke to a lonely day’). Grace’s grief is tempered by her concern for Mr Milligan, and as time passes, she helps to bring gladness back into his days as they begin to enjoy bowls of fruit together again, delighting in shared memories of Charlie. Picture books that set out to introduce and normalise death for young children so often sacrifice their narrative quality in trying to be sensitive and edifying, but Grace and Mr Milligan doesn’t fall into this trap. It’s moving and enjoyable, and will work just as well for a resource in handling death and grief as it will for everyday storytime sessions.