Gautam's Goodbye

The message of this beautifully illustrated book is: seasons change, the moon goes round and so does life and to feel sad, bad or mad at the death of someone close are normal emotions that help heal, memories comfort and love lives on.

This book gently explores the natural response of grief to death and loss. The young elephant Gautam lives happily in the company of BaBoo the elephant, MooMa the cow, Saveeta the tortoise and Rekha the rabbit. They live under a mulberry tree that throughout the book illustrates the changing seasons with the moon waxing and waning above.

Gautam is born in spring, enjoys the warmth and comfort of summer but when autumn comes he becomes anxious that things are changing and asks why. MooMa and BaBoo both explain that change is inevitable but that memories help keep things alive.

BaBoo dies in winter. Gautam experiences the emotions of grief and is told by MooMa that feeling sad bad or mad are normal and are emotions just as feeling happy and glad are and not to hide them. She tells him that time will make things feel better.

Gautam remembers the conversation with BaBoo and compares the revolution of the moon and changing of the seasons to the way life feelings sometimes and draws comfort that even with the coming of winter, whilst life goes on, the love he feels for BaBoo will remain alive in his heart.