BUBBLE HC BOARD BOOK - Hardcover

Appeared on Best of 2018 lists from Pitchfork, Quill & Quire, and 100 Scope Notes! "Before Genevi ve Castr e passed away, she wrote this heart-wrenching story for her daughter... The most heartbreaking book of 2018."--100 Scope Notes "[A] heartbreaking last work."--Pitchfork "[A Bubble] is beautiful... The art Castr e made is testimony: to the joys of growing older, and to the price."--The Paris Review "This board book - exploring the poignant relationship between a dying mother and her toddler-aged child - has to be one of the most heartbreaking works we have ever read."--Quill & Quire "A masterfully understated evocation of filial love and impending loss, its title an uncannily apt dual metaphor for a family's self-created safe space and a mother's fragile condition."--Montreal Gazette "Castr e's book is a work of unbelievable dedication and care... A truly magnificent work of art."--Women's Review of Books "Castr e's delicate, detailed artwork, in warm, rich colors, reveals charming details of day-to-day life... Though the subject matter is tough, this thoughtfully written book, which ends on a hopeful note despite Castr e's death in 2016, might be just right to share with little ones struggling to come to terms with a parent's infirmity."--Booklist

Drawn near the end of her life, surrounded by the nature and calm of Anacortes, Washington, Genevieve Castree drew one final gift for her two-year-old daughter, the stunning board book A Bubble. Leaving behind a last note for a young child is an incomprehensible task; Castree responds with grace and subtlety. Using precise, exquisite drawings of herself and her daughter, Castree depicts changes in their daily routines as a greater story unfolds. Mother and daughter float from page to page, encased in a bubble that protects them from the outside world. A contemplation of love and loss, A Bubble is a lasting declaration, a final memory, a comfort for others experiencing grief, and a beautiful archive of one of the world s most talented cartoonist s final artistic achievements. Known for her hauntingly beautiful music (under the names O PAON and Woelv), engrossingly detailed album illustrations, and delicate, subtle comics, Castree s previous graphic novel, Susceptible, shows her rare ability to handle difficult personal material with intimacy and honesty. A Bubble acts as an extension of her life story and the final chapter of a beautifully full existence. Castree passed away in 2016 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.