Figgles and Flo: The Elephant in the Room by Antonia Blackmore, illustrated by Sarah P Sharpe

I love reading children’s books – possibly because I was quite a late independent reader myself and am making up for lost time, so when Stephanie Bretherton got in touch to ask if I’d like to see a copy of Figgles and Flo: The Elephant in the Room by Antonia Blackmore and illustrated by Sarah P Sharpe, written in support of the charity Families in Grief, I jumped at the chance. I’m so glad I did. It’s my pleasure to share my review of Figgles and Flo today.

Figgles and Flo: The Elephant in the Room was published by Breakthrough Books on 17th October 2024 and is available for purchase here.

Figgles and Flo: The Elephant in the Room

Meet Figgles, a very sad elephant, and Flo, a very wise old dog.

Sad times can be so hard to go through and even harder to understand. That’s when we need a bit of extra help. In this touching story from Families in Grief, lonely Figgles learns to remember the good times with the people he has loved, and to look forward to new possibilities, through the kindness of his friend Flo.

Join two irresistible characters as they explore the journey of healing and get ready to make new memories.

My Review of Figgles and Flo: The Elephant in the Room

Figgles the toy elephant is lonely and upset because Child has grown up and forgotten all about him.

I could not have loved Figgles and Flo more, even if it did reduce me to a snivelling wreck. The empathy, love and understanding between its pages mean that it feels perfect for anyone, especially a child, who is grieving the loss of a loved one. Death is not mentioned, but the story perfect for anyone who feels a loss, whether that’s through death or physical and emotional distance. Very much part of the ‘it’s OK not to be OK movement’ Figgles and Flo teaches all of us that grief and loss are natural.

I might be some half a century or more older than the target audience, but reading this story has enabled me to deal with my own grief and feels cathartic and healing. Through Flo’s support for Figgles and her helpful suggestions for remembering someone we love, children can learn to embrace their own feelings and to deal with them. I loved the concept that tears are memories of those we miss.  I’d say Figgles and Flo is absolutely essential for any home or establishment where children are present, because it is a lovely, entertaining story but more importantly, enables conversations to be had about grief and sadness in a sensitive and accessible story. It also shows children how a little kindness towards someone else can have a huge impact.

Once Figgles has some tools to help manage his feelings, there is a sense of uplifting hope and positivity as he and Flo head off for new adventures so that the story ends cheerfully.

I must mention too, the wonderful illustrations in Figgles and Flo. They are naïve in style so that they appeal to young children and yet the facial expressions of the two toys convey a wide range of emotions that older readers will also appreciate. There’s also a sense of ownership with the ability for a child to inscribe their name at the beginning as well as some line illustrations for colouring at the end of the book which help to embed the characters and story.

Figgles and Flo is a beautiful, helpful and emotional story filled with understanding and hope for any child (of any age) dealing with grief. Just wonderful. It’s one of my books of the year!