When Zelda's best friend dies she refuses to accept it and sets off to find Crystal traveling to the highest mountain, deepest ocean, and eventually back to the garden. - (Baker & Taylor)

Crystal had lived in the garden for many years and she was growing old--Zelda was just starting out in life and though she was young, she and Crystal were best friends, but one day Crystal was not in the garden, she had died; in this gentle, beautifully illustrated story, children learn, with Zelda, that true friendship is a gift that doesn't die. - (Baker & Taylor)

A beautifully written and illustrated book that introduces a big subject to little ones

 

Crystal had lived in the garden for many years. She was growing old. Zelda was just starting out in life. They were best friends. They read books together. They took trips together. And they talked about everything. But one day Crystal was not in the garden. She had died. In this gentle story, children learn, with Zelda, that true friendship is a gift that doesn’t die. - (Ingram Publishing Services)

A beautifully written and illustrated book that introduces a big subject to little ones

 

Crystal had lived in the garden for many years. She was growing old. Zelda was just starting out in life. They were best friends. They read books together. They took trips together. And they talked about everything. But one day Crystal was not in the garden. She had died. In this gentle story, children learn, with Zelda, that true friendship is a gift that doesn't die. - (Simon and Schuster)

SEBASTIAN LOTH’s love of literature came early and he began writing poems and short stories while still at school. A banker and an economist as well as a writer and illustrator, he lives near Cologne, Germany - (Ingram Publishing Services)

SEBASTIAN LOTH's love of literature came early and he began writing poems and short stories while still at school. A banker and an economist as well as a writer and illustrator, he lives near Cologne, Germany - (Simon and Schuster)

Booklist Reviews

Zelda is a little goose who enjoys spending time with her friend Crystal. But even though turtles live long, Crystal is growing old. Soon their time together, swimming, reading, and talking, is over. When the other geese tell Zelda that Crystal has died, she doesn't believe it. She looks everywhere, but at last she must accept that Crystal is gone. As Zelda remembers all that Crystal taught her about the world and the good times they shared, she realizes that her friend will always be in her heart. Although there are other books for young ones that deal with the topic of death, this gets high points for the simplicity of the text—a few lines per page—and the handsomeness of the design. Buff, mottled pages serve as the background for illustrations that are elegant in their spareness. The characters, deeply colored and outlined in ink, dominate the spreads, and despite the somber subject, moments of humor escape into the art. Like Mo Willems' City Dog, Country Frog (2010), this story of a final friendship touches the heart. Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.