When will my Woodlouse Wake up?

Ross’s woodlouse, impressively named Lord Jeffry the First, usually enjoys nibbling pears, rolling into a ball and wiggling his antennae, but one day he just won’t wake up. Ross’s older and wiser sister Fay tells him that this is because Lord Jeffry is dead. Traumatised, Ross starts obsessively checking on the family’s other pets – two cats and a hamster – to check they aren’t also ‘definitely, incredibly dead’. He plans to continue doing this 23 times a night! Fay, who shares a bedroom with him and wants some sleep decides Ross needs a visit to the library to find out a bit more about death and the librarian is more than happy to help.

This is a reassuring tale about coping with the death of a pet told from a young child’s perspective. Different theories about what happens when you die are explored which may lead to far reaching discussions about reincarnation, how bodies can provide nutrients for the soil after death and the concept of heaven and an afterlife. The text and illustrations are warm and appealing.

With a lively and appealing style, this is an interesting picture book which additionally represents but does not foreground a diverse family unit (the illustrations indicate Ross has two mums of different ethnicities).