When Sadness is at Your Door
By Eva Eland
Random House Books, 2019
24 pages
Social Media:
Instagram: evaeland
Facebook:@evaelandillustration
Twitter: @EvaEland
About the Author: Eva Eland graduated with her MA from the Cambridge School of Art in 2018 and lives in Cambridge, UK. When Sadness is at Your Door, also titled When Sadness Comes to Call, is her first picture book, and has been translated into several languages. She enjoys creating art and writing about difficult subjects such as emotions. You can find out more about her at https://evaeland.com.
“Sometimes, Sadness arrives unexpectedly. It follows you around… and sits so close to you, you can hardly breathe.“
Young or old, we’ve all felt when Sadness pays a visit, seeing how it can fill a room, or isolate us within ourselves.
Although many books shy away from talking about Sadness with young children, When Sadness is at Your Door looks at Sadness openly and honestly, giving it a face and a name to make it accessible to young readers. Eland describes what Sadness feels like, and what children can do with Sadness to better understand where it comes from and what it needs.
Minimalistic illustrations with few words and little color suites the theme of the story and, although the picture book is not glamorous, comic, or elaborate in appearance, it is extremely comforting. Eland helps to inspire children to meet Sadness at the door and welcome it, not to hide or shy away from their feelings, which helps children better cope with their emotions honestly and openly.