I absolutely bawled my eyes out and immediately called my mum!
This is an incredible depiction of grief that really taps into the feelings that come with loss and focusses on keeping your loved one alive in your memories.
Both the illustrations and the words capture this experience so beautifully. It is painful but because it is so raw and true to that situation, which also makes it comforting and cathartic. I am tearing up just writing this review almost a year after I actually read it (apologies for the delay!). I will definitely be buying myself a copy, and it will be a physical copy, so I can hug it close to my chest.
I cannot recommend this enough.

An amazing picture book exploring loss & bereavement for children. I use this book in my Bereavement Friendship Group, ELSA & Nurture Group - it’s a must have.

A beautifully written book about love and loss. You'll feel all the feels as your read this with your little ones and help them through their struggles.

As soon as I finished this book I called my mother to read it to her and we both cried. So we’ll done, beautiful book about loss.

This book is sad but lovely. Unfortunately, books like this are needed. It teaches children how to deal with a hole left behind when a friend is no longer there. The illustrations are beautiful, the words rhyme with perfect cadence, and the story while sad has an uplifting message of remembrance.

I love this book and the illustrations. It teaches about loss especially on a child level and mentions types of loss that aren’t necessarily death. As a kid sometimes we have friends that disappear because they move away and you aren’t given notice the way you would be as an adult.

This book deals with grief - we never learn exactly why turtle's hare friend has left, but we can see his grief. Then his new friend, a bear, tells him a truth that is universal about grief. Highly recommend for anyone grieving.

Whether it's through death or some other kind of loss, kids are going to experience it at some point before they are grown. This picture book would be just the book to give, whether it's the loss of a pet, a grandparent, or a friend who has moved away. It's all loss, and this is a must-buy for me.

A poignant story about loss that will touch and help to heal children and adults who are grieving. The illustrations are stunning too.

I really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations in this picture book. It was colourful as well as insightful.

Taking an old classic with characters we all know, and turning their story into one about loss and grief. I loved that the book was written in rhymes, with easy-to-understand language for young readers. This is a good book to use to explain grief and loss, especially for children who are dealing with the death of a friend/family member.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group Frances Lincoln Children's Books for a temporary digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Hare-Shaped Hole’ by John Dougherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty. On publication I purchased my own copy.

This picture book is recommended for children aged 5-9 years old. Its intention is to gently explore themes of grief and loss.

Hertie the hare and Bertie the turtle are best friends and do everything together. Then one day Hertie is gone. All Bertie can see is a Hertie-shaped hole where his friend should be. As a result he goes through various stages of grief, yet the hole remains. Eventually Gerda the kindly bear finds him and explains how he can slowly move forward.

John Dougherty is a children’s author and poet and the text is in the form of a rhyming poem. His words are beautifully accompanied by Thomas Docherty’s illustrations. Each picture was a treat for the eyes.

For many years I have been interested in the stages of grief as outlined by Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, ‘On Death and Dying’. So, I was encouraged by the appearance of this book as it seems the perfect way in which to open a conversation with children about this delicate subject, including the loss of a beloved pet.

I also feel that it will provide comfort for adults who are dealing with grief as it taps into deep feelings. I certainly was deeply moved by its poignant and hopeful message. As a result I have no hesitation in recommending it highly.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. "The Hare-Shaped Hole" provides a way to talk with kids about their emotions and their experiences while grieving. It encourages them to hold on to the many memories of their loved one. The illustrations are beautiful too.

This book delicately deals with loss and mourning. Bertie's friend Hertle disappears and leaves a Hertle shaped hole in his life. I admire that the authors have addressed the difficulties Hertle faced with his emotions and with the help of a new friend, Gerda, Hertle realises that the emptiness that is left cannot and should not be ignored or hidden. I will definitely recommend this book to my teaching colleagues.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and authors for allowing me to read this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this made me tear up several times. A truly lovely, beautiful drawn and written little children’s book about processing grief and loss.

"Now - take your memories home.
They'll help you whenever you're sad and alone.
From the first of the year
till the last of December,
keep them close by your side.
And always:
remember."

Once there was a tortoise and a hare who were best friends. They did everything together until one day . . . they didn't.

Bertle, the young turtle, is inconsolable at the loss of his pal. There is a hole where his friend should be, and it follows him where ever he goes. Luckily a wise, older bear (one who has been in Bertle's shoes, we discover) helps him deal with his grief by urging him to focus on good memories.

This is a beautiful, touching story that will help a child cope with the loss of a loved one. The illustrations by Thomas Docherty are charming and evocative. The book would make a perfect addition to a library or school shelf.

This was a truly excellent book about dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one and the hole that they leave in your lives. The art style was gorgeous and the message had me tearing up a little. This would be a great book for any children dealing with grief, as it helps address and tackle these emotions.

Thank you to the author, Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This children's book explores friendship and loss, and the hurt that goes along with losing someone suddenly and with no explanation. Perfect for younger children, to help them understand the power of memories, and with beautiful illustrations.

A beautiful story of friendship and what it means to grief the loss of a friend. It's a reminder of valuing people and cherishing them and their life. I really enjoyed the characters, and the way both author and illustrator brought such hard topics of loss and grief for our little ones to understand. Full of hope and a beautiful message.

Quite possibly the most beautiful and sensitive approach to grief and loss that we have ever read.

Bertle and Hertle, the tortoise and the hare, are the best of best friends. They do everything together and support each other without exception. When Bertle wakes up one morning to find that Hertle is missing, he is bereft. He doesn't understand the how or the why, he just knows that there is a hare-shaped hole in his world.
The hare-shaped hole travels around like a constant and unwanted companion, reminding him of his loss at every turn. He cries and sobs, screams and rages at it, yet it still remains and there is nothing that he can do to make it leave him alone.

Then he meets Gerda, a kindly bear, who wraps him up in a hug and listens to him. He asks her questions about life and loss and she answers those which it is possible to answer. She explains that it is not possible to get rid of the hare-shaped hole because if you take nothing away, you are still left with nothing. 'You can't just ignore it, or lose it, or hide it. Instead, you can fill it. Put something inside it.' She advises him to think of all the wonderful things he and Hertle had done, speak about them and be grateful and proud of what they had and to use those memories to fill the hole.

Gradually, the hare-shaped hole fills with stunning colours and images formed from the memories and Bertle is left with a twinkling and vibrant hare-shaped outline of his friend. Not a replacement and not equivalent but something to hold on to and something to help.

The illustrations accompanying the simple and gentle rhyming text are breathtakingly beautiful and serve to reinforce the message perfectly. The images at the end depicting the hare-shaped hole filling slowly with flowers and rainbows actually made us shed a tear.

This book is an absolute must for any school SEMH library for children age 5-12 when read in the right context. It is also essential for any child who is experiencing grief, loss and mourning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for sending us this eBook for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

This is a simple, yet evocatively told and gorgeously illustrated story of a turtle who is friends with a hare, only to lose that friend unexpectedly. It's a powerful tool for children who are learning to deal with loss for the first time, whether it's a friend moving away or something more permanent. I particularly loved how the titular hare-shaped hole transformed in the art as Bertle learned to accept loss and remember the good times.