I almost cried reading I Built a Rocket Ship.
This recent (2026) picture book written by Anna Lazowski and illustrated by Jennica Lounsbury tells a story that appears to be quite simple: a kid is building a rocket ship, adapting the materials from an earlier robot, also built at home/in the backyard. When the kid tells her father what’s doing, he gets quiet. She continues to built the rocket, narrating the process to a “you” who isn’t present. Or named. Instead, she relives some of her memories of this person, who appears to be her mother, and who is now gone and not coming back. The girl is clearly in a state blending longing and mourning. I assume the mother is dead, but all we know for sure is that she’s gone and won’t be coming back.
The details are spot on, and the ache is real. I ached for those I miss and those I’ve lost, and would suggest this for people helping kids deal with death/loss. It made me sad in the most appropriate ways.
