A 34-Page Vacation

Just the Facts:
The Next Place by Warren Hanson
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover - 36 pages (September 1997)
Waldman House Pr; ISBN: 0931674328 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.39 x 9.31 x 11.35

It is interesting to me that when most people speak of this book they often mention its ability to comfort those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. When I first read this book, it never occurred to me that it was addressing what death would be like. In The Next Place I recognized a sense of hope, of transformation, and serenity. Of course, these are all things we seek when we experience some kind of death or major change.

A General Description:

This book is usually found in the children's section of bookstores. It is seventeen pages long and full of vivid, magical illustrations. The words center around the theme of "the next place" and drift across the pages in wavy lines and occasional rhyme. These first words of the book make their way across a pink and blue sky with clouds and birds:

"The next place that I go
will be as peaceful and familiar
as a sleepy summer Sunday
and a sweet, untroubled mind

[Next page - white and blue clouds with birds]

And yet... it won't be anything like any place I've ever been...
or seen...or even dreamed of
in the place I leave behind"

The words and the illustrations together give the reader a sense that they are really travelling on a whimsical, incredible journey.

Why This is a Book for Anyone Who Needs a Little Reassurance

I suppose that some people believe that goodness and beauty are only accessible to those that have passed away and gone to heaven. For those people, this can be a book just about the wonders of life beyond earth.

However, for me, this book is about the sense of the possible, the infinite. The Next Place is not a great distance away, it is what is always waiting for us just outside of time. The Next Place is a state of mind, a state of the heart where there is only love and peace. For some this place can be found in prayer, sacrifice, repentance, communion, or meditation. Just as the experience is infinite, so are the paths to finding it.

No matter what readers believe the Next Place to be - this book does a wonderful job of describing and illustrating it. In these times this book can be very healing for adults and children who need to take a respite from pain and struggle.

You might like this if you:
Have or know someone who has lost a loved one
Need a vacation, if only for ten minutes
Enjoy heart warming illustrations
Enjoy uplifting, insightful verse

You might not like this if you:
Don't like picture books
Don't agree with Warren Hanson's description of the Next Place

If you are interested in this book, you might also be interested in: Older Love by Warren Hanson, The Two of Them by Aliki, or The Fall of Freddie the Leaf : A Story of Life for All Ages by Leo F. Buscaglia.