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Dean Atta, Author
Alea Marley, Illustrator
Imprint: Orchard Books
Publication date: January 15, 2026
Category: Death & bereavement
ISBN: 9781408370599
Imprint: Orchard Books
Publication date: May 7, 2026
Category: Death & bereavement
ISBN: 9781408370735
A heartfelt story about love, loss and the joy a person leaves behind, written by multi-prize winning poet Dean Atta and illustrated by the award-winning Alea Marley.
Auntie’s bangles used to jingle-jangle as she laughed, read and made delicious dishes, and especially as she danced. But everyone is so sad since Auntie died. It feels . . . quiet.
Slowly, Theo and his cousin, Rama, learn to celebrate their memories of Auntie, even after she’s gone.
This gentle and sensitive exploration of grief will open up important conversations and help little ones find their own way to remember and celebrate someone they’ve lost.
Dean Atta is the author of YA novels-in-verse The Black Flamingo and Only on the Weekends. Named as ‘one of poetry’s greatest modern voices’ (Gay Times). The Black Flamingo was a top-selling debut of 2020 and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, CILIP Carnegie Medal, The Jhalak Prize and The YA Book Prize. The Black Flamingo was also awarded the prestigious Stonewall Book Award and the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Award 2020, and sold to the US in a five-way publisher auction.
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Alea Marley is an award-winning illustrator of picture books. She loves creating whimsical scenes that are filled with patterns, texture, and bursts of colour! Alea’s favourite mediums to work with are chunky pencils, watercolour crayons, and digital brushes. She was born in the UK with Barbadian roots.