Felix After the Rain by Dunja Jogan explores the power of utilizing a support system when it comes to mitigating grief and bringing levity and perspective to upsetting situations.
An unhappy man named Felix carries a suitcase with him wherever he goes. He has carried it since his Grandma passed away, and although he doesn't know what is inside of it, he knows it's something hurtful and bothersome. Felix drags it up a hill and, exhausted from his journey, falls asleep in the shade, the suitcase sitting next to him at the hill's apex. That's when a young boy shows up and opens the suitcase, releasing the storm within and forcing Felix to allow someone else to help him carry his grief and weather the storm.
The illustrations are magical and ominous, created from what looks like a mixture of collaged watercolors, crayons, and gouache, enhanced digitally to bring out the individual textures of each medium. The chaotic blend of these oppositional textures and media parallels the child's inner demons as they wrestle inside of suitcase and his heart. In fact, after the suitcase disappears, the illustrations are far less muddled in design and appear much brighter in both tone and color. Credit must be given to the cover designer, who added see-through spot gloss to the front in the shape of water droplets -- a brilliant touch.
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