Sad and heartwarming, this book nearly had me in tears! The artwork is beautiful and the story was fantastic. A little way through I could sense something coming but it still punched me in the gut when I got to it.
Overall the book was entertaining and beautiful and I'd recommend it to everyone!

Europe Comic’s Clara: A beautiful but sad story

This is a beautiful book. I was lucky to be allowed a digital review copy of Europe Comics’ Clara. .
Have you read Clara? What was your take?

From my POV It is hard to say which was more impacting, the story by Christophe Lemoine or the beautiful art by Cécile. As described openly on the back of the book, Clara has a bitter/sweet story. Clara’s best friend is her mother, but her mother forgot her birthday. It wasn’t on purpose, their house was stressed because Clara’s mother has been diagnosed with a horrible illness and is dying.

The story of Clara follows her on a confused journey of pain and loss, shallow understanding of the universe and meddling emotional gymnastics.

Coming in at just about 56 pages, there is not a lot of room for spoilers, so we will refrain from full disclosure details. I would absolutely suggest hunting a copy of this down and reading it.

Disclosure: This Graphic Novel was supplied for review purposes by the publisher or artist. That is all.. Go hug someone you love.

This was a wonderful book. I loved the art. It was so beautiful. This book is really heartbreaking and refreshingly honest, and shows how children and adults can be affected by death (especially when it can be sudden), and how they deal with it personally, and by sharing and talking with family as well.

A translated French graphic novel, Clara is a little girl whose life is turned upside down. Told from her point of view, the sense of confusion is real with the reader having to work out what has happened to the little girl's life along with her and that journey tugs on the heart-strings of even the most callous reader. The gift of the doll starts off this confusion, the reader will understand the significance of the gift from an adults perspective but be wrenched by Clara's reaction to it. A good read, a good thought provoking narrative, a story that is likely to stay with you for many years.

'Clara' by Christophe Lemoine with art by Cécile is the story of a little girl and her mother and a doll. It's sad and moving.

Clara loves her mother and their routine. She is picked up from school, she gets candy and she and her mother play games. One day, that changes when Clara is forgotten. It's her birthday and her parents forget. They especially forget the special gift she was hoping for. They are preoccupied with some news about Clara's mother. Clara's mother gives her a doll she had when she was a little girl, but Clara doesn't really like the doll. In the days ahead when Clara's mother goes to the hospital, then doesn't come home, the doll takes on a different meaning for Clara.

The story is sweet and sad and mostly told from Clara's perspective. The stages of grief are experienced by the character in a natural way. This might not be appropriate for a child who hasn't gone through the loss of a parent, but it might be just what a grieving child might need to help process their feelings.

The art is perfect for the tone of the book. The subject is deep, but there are moments of beauty and a little magic along the way. I really liked this one.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Clara, written by Chrisophe Lemoine (originally written in French) and illustrated by Cécile, is a graphic novel intended to educate children about what happens when a loved one becomes ill and passes away. I was provided with this book in an eBook format from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. This graphic novel was a sad, sweet little book which I can imagine being helpful for parents or guardians in a difficult and sad time to attempt to explain the situation to those who are younger. I really liked the art style used and I'd definitely be interested in seeing more from this duo.

A very short, but powerful graphic novel about a young girl coming to terms with a death of a family member.

Beautiful, touching and heartbreaking are a few words that come to mind when thinking of this story.

This was hard to read. I was crying at the halfway point and really sobbing at the end. I could put myself in the little girl's shoes. Death is a thing I never can quite wrap my head around and it really terrified me as a kid and even as an adult.

I loved the art style. I loved that the little girl used her imagination to help her deal with her loss.

This story would be good for any young person going through something similar. It could help them understand death and that their loved one did not abandon them.

*thank you to Netgalley and Europe Comics for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 stars.

Books can make me very sad. They can be so well written that I can get quite emotional. This book though pushed me to my very limit and I very nearly broke down sobbing. It is beautifully written and the illustrations are so wonderful. Death and grief are probably the hardest things we have to experience in our lives. With this book we are able to go through the story, through the eyes of a little girl as she finds out some very sad news. I liked how the author wrote and described the process of the grief stage. It was easy to follow and defiantly written so little children could connect with it. Such a sad emotional read. If books can make you cry, then I strongly suggest you grab a box of tissues because this is like a punch in the stomach. Highly recommend!

I read this book as an ARC from #NetGalley and what a beautiful book it is. The illustrations are clean, simple and gorgeous and the story line touches on issues that effect us all, children and adults alike. This would be a wonderful book to broach the subjects of loss, grief and death with children. It offers not spiritual explanation making it accessible by people of any or no faith. A truly lovely book about a very difficult subject.

A beautifully illustrated and written allegorical tale concerning the process of grief and acceptance. Any fan of "The Little Prince" would be hard pressed not to be emotionally impacted by this simple, yet powerful, tale.

It’s amazing how much this book manages to do in such a short span. It was a very moving story dealing with loss. When Clara loses her mother, it is difficult for her to process it and understand. She must come to terms with what has happened.

While I enjoyed the story, it was definitely oversimplified. It might help a young reader deal with loss, but older readers would probably find it a bit too convenient.

J'ai été marquée tout d'abord touchée par les dessins de cette petite bande-dessinée. Leur douceur et leurs couleurs vives semblent faites pour que les enfants acceptent mieux la réalité qui leur est apprise dans cette histoire : la mort existe et touche chacun d'entre nous. Les personnages n'ont pas d'autre caractéristique que leur attachement les uns aux autres mais c'est justement ce qui permet de se focaliser sur le message. Si la BD est traduite, je me la procurerai sans doute pour les enfants dans mon entourage.

*review copy courtesy of NetGalley* This is a very sad graphic novel for kids. Clara and her mother do so many things together. Then one day Clara’s mother comes home and isn’t herself. Her parents are whispering in another room and seem quite sad. Clara asks what is wrong because they have forgotten her birthday. Her mother gives her one of her old dolls until they can properly celebrate Clara’s birthday. Clara doesn’t like the doll and stuffs it into her dresser.

Things get really heavy when Clara’s mother starts to pack to go to the hospital. Clara sees her there says goodbye and that’s the last time she sees her mother alive. When Clara’s grandmother comes I thought she was coming to stay while Clara’s mother was in the hospital. I struggled when we realize it’s because Clara’s mother has died. Clara finds out the doll is there to take care of her and they go to a strange land. For some reason this doesn’t seem odd in the story.

I was so touched by the ending and Clara’s decision to bury her mother’s doll with her.

My one issue with the book is the age of Clara. She and the language she uses are much younger than the intended audience of this book. I’m glad there is a graphic novel about grief but I wish Clara was a little older and didn’t refer to her mother as Mommy, which makes her appear to be a preschooler.

A sweet book told from the point of view of a child who loses her mother to cancer. Lovely drawings and told in a style that would be quite easy for any child going through this to understand.

This little book is a heartbreaking story told in kids language about how to deal with grief. The illustrations are beautiful and simple, makes for a calm soft read.

Heartbreaking.. A bit strange that the little girl got the whole truth and explanations about her mother's death more from the doll than her dad.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

Dreamily and beautifully drawn, this lovely and heart-breaking book tells the story of young Clara as she grieves for her mother after an untimely death from cancer. So well done. A must for elementary libraries.

Young girl Clara’s mother dies and she deals with it with the help of imagination and her mother’s doll. Despite the emotional subject matter, the creative team don’t do much to move the reader. A dull, forgettable effort.

An unusual theme of a child's loss of her mother for a graphic novel. Heartbreaking and intriguing. Beautiful illustrations.

This was such a beautiful and emotional graphic novel. It's a wonderful read for many different age groups. Touching and told with sensitivity. It deals with the topic of grief in a creative and delicate way. I really enjoyed it.

The illustration of this book is just beautiful. The story starts off with a normal little girl Clara and her daily life but things change when her mom gets sick. It takes you a little bit to figure out what's happening since it's told from Clara's point of view but it's pretty sad. I think it was well done, not over the top or cheesy at all.