3 December 2020 ADDY’S CUP OF SUGAR by Jon J. Muth, Scholastic Press, October 2020, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-439-63428-1

“I’m not scared of dying and I don’t really care

If it’s peace you find in dying, well, then let the time be near”

-- Laura Nyro (1947-1997) 

I miss Laura Nyro.

“Addy and her pet kitten were best friends. They did everything together. When he was very young, his meow sounded like the tooting of a tiny brass horn. Addy named him Trumpet

They woke up together every day. Trumpet sat on the covers and wouldn’t move until Addy got out of bed. When Trumpet was with her, the world was brighter and warmer.

But one day, shortly after they moved into their new neighborhood, it happened.

Trumpet was hit by a car.

Addy was very sad. Trumpet couldn’t be gone. This couldn’t really be happening. There must be something she could do!

Then Addy remembered her friend Stillwater. He knew a lot about how to help people. He would know how to bring Trumpet back again. Addy ran to find him.”

Death is a topic facing today’s children. Kids living through these days will, for the rest of their lives, recall the year that school was online or nonexistent. The year of masks. The year that they knew someone who died, or perhaps a friend or relative knew someone. Or maybe a teacher or staff member at school lost a friend or loved one. 

Jon J. Muth has written and illustrated one of the best and most beautiful books on loss and death that I’ve ever seen.  I’ve never encountered a better approach to this emotional issue than the one taken in ADDY’S CUP OF SUGAR.  This is the latest of Muth’s books to feature the popular Stillwater character. The giant panda has been gaining young fans for fifteen years now. 

“‘Fill this cup with sugar and bring it to me so we can mix it into the right medicine. But the most important thing of all is that the sugar must be from a home where death is a stranger.’”

This large-trim picture book is a beautifully inspirational retelling of a Buddhist legend and addresses the universality of losing a loved one. The original legend featured a mustard seed instead of a cup of sugar. An informative author’s note explains the source of the story.

I’ve loved Jon J. Muth’s work, going back to his memorable illustration of the 1999 Karen Hesse picture book COME ON, RAIN!  His latest, ADDY’S CUP OF SUGAR, is a book that any kid today will be fortunate to encounter.

Richie Partington, MLIS

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