Empty and Me

A young girl's world goes quiet after her mother dies, and a silent, gentle figure called Empty arrives to fill the hollow her mother has left behind. Empty becomes her closest companion, since she has lost touch with her father and her friends and cannot find her way back to them.

Everything shifts when a cherished memory of her mother surfaces unexpectedly. That small spark of happiness gives the girl the courage to turn outward again. Empty never leaves, but she slowly begins to reconnect with the people around her and to create new moments of joy with them.

Originally published in Iran, this picture book appears in both Persian and English. Its simple text and illustrations offer a gentle way to begin talking with children about death and grief, and they give young readers a tangible way to picture the tangled feelings that follow the loss of someone dear. Although written for children, its reassuring message also speaks to readers of any age.