Getting Near to Baby

When you read books the way I do - because they are recommended by a committee of people who have read hundreds of books and narrowed down the field to what they consider the best of the best - and not because a book looks or sounds good to you, you're bound to find yourself reading books you would never even pick up. Such is the case with Getting Near to Baby by Audrey Couloumbis. It received Newbery Honors in 2000 along with another work of fiction and one non-fiction.

Right away you find out that it is a sad story - a story about death, tragic death. The cover is extremely subdued with overcast skies covering two little girls huddling on a roof and looking lost. If you know the title and have discovered the subject matter, it doesn't take much to realize that these two girls have lost their baby sister. And they have lost their mother due to overwhelming grief.

Do you want to read this book yet? It is a beautiful book that covers the course of a day from sunrise to sunset. Big Sister, Willa Jo, has climbed onto her Aunt's roof to escape her overbearing Aunt and Little Sister has followed her. Now that Willa Jo is on the roof, she doesn't feel any better and yet she is scared to come down to what awaits her. Whatever was wrong before has been made worse by climbing onto the roof. Throughout the course of the day, her aunt and various neighbors come to stare up at the two girls. They try to coax them down. They check on their safety. They try to force them down. They threaten the girls with calling the authorities to get them down. The sisters choose to ignore them.

And all the while, sitting on the roof, Willa Jo reminisces over what led them to be at Aunt Patty's house and eventually on the roof. The girls' baby sister died from tainted water at a carnival. Their artist mother who paints pictures for greeting cards has told the girls that Baby wanted to join the angels and the angels let Baby come to them. But they loved Baby so much, they didn't want to part from her. So now Baby has the angels and Mother, Willa Jo and Little Sister have each other. Someday they will be rejoined and they have that to look forward to. Until then they just have to get by.

If mother wants to curl up and sleep the day away with her daughters, she does. If she wants to go out on the doorstep and watch the sun paint the sky at sunrise, they do. If they are hungry, they snack. Organization has fallen to the wayside in their grief. In steps Aunt Patty who believes naps are for children and not for adults. Women iron clothes and watch soaps. There is work to be done. Someone must care for the children. Aunt Patty decides she will take over the child care while Mother recovers. But Aunt Patty doesn't have children. She can take care of them, but has trouble showing love.

The girls are desperate to go back to their mother. Not only do they need her, but they KNOW that she needs them as well. Aunt Patty may be trying to take care of them, but who is taking care of Mother. Who is making sure that she eats and sleeps?

If I were left to my own devices, I would never have been able to enjoy such a book as this. It's a gorgeous story, but hard for me to recommend. It's cathartic and great for a good cry. And maybe, just maybe, living through their pain, can help you to enjoy your life more or ease the pain you're going through yourself.