“Missing May,” by Cynthia Rylant
Orchard Books, New York, 1992, 89 pages, Grades 4-6.
Coping with the death of loved ones is the most painful experience most people will encounter. There are no easy answers to this. People that we have loved are no longer with us. This fills us with sadness and the need to make sense of this loss.
Without spiritual understanding, death seems to have robbed us of people important in our lives. With grace we can learn that we are all part of a divine plan. But when our hearts are breaking this is easier said than done. Cynthia Rylant has written a highly acclaimed novel on this topic, entitled “Missing May.”
It is winter in the West Virginia mountains and Uncle Ob and his niece Summer are clunking around their trailer house. Ob’s wife, Aunt May, has just died. She was the joy of Ob and Summer’s lives. Now they are reeling in anger, loss and depression over her death. Ob has been an industrious handyman but is now scarcely able to get out of bed most mornings. Summer is always trying to fix things but is overwhelmed when she tries to help her elderly uncle while coping with her own loss.
At this time, Cletus, an eccentric classmate of Summer’s comes into their fractured lives. With his bubbling personality, Cletus gets the two to start moving and doing things. He tells them his own story of drowning and being brought back to life. Cletus tells them that he experienced beauty and joy in the next world. Eternity is not something to fear. Ob and Summer can hardly believe this. Cletus then tells them that a spiritual medium in a faraway town might be able to get Ob in touch with May.
So they pack up their car and go to meet this minister. However, their search rapidly ends when they discover that the medium has died. So there will be no gimmicky and quick answers regarding May’s death. Frustrated, they turn around and start for home and on the journey they begin talking about May. Summer finally breaks down, releasing all of her grief. Something changes in Ob as well, and he caringly turns to comfort Summer. What is it that changes them?
Cynthia Rylant (1954-present) was awarded the Newbery Medal for the outstanding contribution to children’s literature in 1993 for this novel. She has written and illustrated more than 100 books. “Missing May” is written in simple language and comforts the hearts of readers. It is not a novel with much dialogue or exterior action, but is rather a rich testimony to the sufferings and triumphs of the human heart. It is an unforgettable story. I hope you get a chance to read this fine novel and encourage anyone dealing with the grief caused by death to do the same. Below are some other books to help people cope with the loss of a loved one.
“Where is Grandpa?” by T.A. Barron. A book with stunning illustrations in which a young boy and his family cope with the death of their beloved grandfather.
“Saying Goodbye to Lulu” by Corinne Demas. This is a touching story about a young girl losing her pet dog, Lulu. It is very nicely done, as the child is angry and doesn’t want to be consoled. Things turn out nicely in the end when she gets a new puppy but plays with the puppy under the tree near Lulu’s grave.
“Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs” by Tomie DePaola. Beautiful autobiographical account of the lives and deaths of his great grandmother and grandmother.
“The Tenth Good Thing About Barney” by Judith Viorst. Comforting story about a boy losing his pet cat.
“The Old Dog” by Charlotte Zolotow. Lovely story about a young boy grieving his old dog. It ends happily when his parents bring him a new puppy.
