Shawn is the older brother who is a bully. He is in a terrible accident and his sister misses him as she remembers all the good things he did.
Shawn is the older brother who likes to torment his younger siblings. The children just want him to 'go away'. Then one day, Shawn is in a car accident that leaves him immobile, and unable to eat on his own or talk. In the midst of her grieving, Shawn's sister remembers his random acts of kindness. 'Go Away, Shawn' is a reminder that despite the bullying, there is still room for love and forgiveness for the older brother who has now been 'lost'.
Excerpt
My sister, younger brother and I can’t wait for Shawn to leave the house. When we are watching cartoons, he will just waltz right up to the t.v. and change the channel. “What kind of garbage are you watching?” he snarls. If he wants the remote he will just yank it out of our hands. “Give me that,” he demands.
“Go away, Shawn!” we all yell. “Just go away!” He lunges at us with his fist curled and punches the air just inches from each of our faces. He likes to threaten. He enjoys scaring us. But sometimes the fists don’t miss.
Professional Reviews
5 Star Review by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Shawn was mischievous and he always played pranks on hisbrother and sister. They couldn't wait for him to leave the house. Hewould change the channel when they watched TV, yank the remote out oftheir hands, and scare and threaten them. He was smart and always worethe designer kind of ripped jeans with pride. He flipped through thechannels as if he was the king of the T.V. Kingdom with his feet on topof the coffee table. They yelled, 'Go away, Shawn!' all the time. Things changed when he actually did go away. Shawn had an accident and it hasbeen four years since he has even spoken a word. His family neveractually wished for him to go away like this. Written from theperspective of Shawn's sister, the story gives readers glimpses of howexactly Shawn was and how he ended up being silent.
Go Away, Shawn! by Dawn Doig is the heartrending story of Shawn who hasbeen in a vegetative state after an accident and, instead of alwayswishing him to go away like before, his sister keeps wishing for him tocome back. The illustrations capture the mood of the story andcharacters and give glimpses of Shawn's bullying behavior. The storyalso brings out his gentle and kind side in many places. It's abeautiful story of love and forgiveness and will bring tears to the eyes of readers. The story connects with all readers who are grieving andwho have experienced the loss of a loved one.
Day's End Lullaby is a sweet and melodic bedtime picture book intended to help lull little ones to sleep. As an added feature, the accompanying sheet music is included.
This book was written for children to stress the importance of being able to choose who gets to hug or touch them and being able to say NO if they don't want to be hugged or touched.
