WORCESTER – Author and educator Robbin Miller experienced firsthand the unique struggle children sometimes face in communicating about and coping with the loss of a loved one. Her son, EJ Tesiero-Miller, lost his grandmother shortly before COVID-19 hit, when he was just 6 years old, but wanted to honor her in some way as a means to also handle the profound loss.
Miller, a Shrewsbury resident and adjunct professor at Quinsigamond Community College, had penned some picture books with her young son before. The process proved cathartic and successful yet again, collaborating with Tesiero-Miller, who was 11 at the time, to produce her latest, “Sammy’s Special Hanukkah.”
“Children feel sad when a loved one close to their heart passes away,” said Miller, who teaches sociology and death and dying at QCC. “It is difficult for them to talk about it with their parents or with their peers, as the topic of death is not normally discussed in American culture. However, when an opportunity such as a religious holiday arises to remember their loved one in spirit, children tend to express their feelings freely in this context. It is OK to talk about your loved one, as the adults will also feel sad as well.”
Geared toward “early readers,” the book, with illustrations by local artist Alyssa Ares, follows the story of Sammy, an eight-year-old boy coping with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s eager to prepare for Hanukkah with his grandfather to cheer him up. While gobbling down his grandpa’s delicious pancakes, suddenly Sammy hears his grandpa’s screams for help. Eight-year-old Sammy calls 911 as his grandpa is rushed to the hospital.
Sammy’s world turns upside down as his parents break the news to him: his grandfather will not be home for Hanukkah and not even a window visit will be allowed due to the spike in COVID-19 cases at the hospital. Sammy’s going to have to overcome this difficult obstacle.
“EJ created the plot of an elementary school-age protagonist,” explains Miller, “who wanted to celebrate Hanukkah with his maternal grandfather as a remembrance of the loss of his beloved grandmother during COVID-19 when a twist of fate happened. EJ wanted the story to be a diverse family in which the protagonist is biracial. EJ is biracial in real life.”
Tesiero-Miller, who is now 14 and a freshman at Shrewsbury High School, adds: “I was bored staying home all the time during COVID-19 in January 2021. I wanted to write about the pandemic for kids and my mom added the Hanukkah piece to the story.”
Miller’s now a seasoned children’s book writer. Her newest marks her sixth, with “Sammy’s Special Hanukkah” preceded by “Playgroup Time” in 2015, “Three Best Friends” in 2017 and in 2018, “Breaking Barriers: A Girl’s Dream to Play Little League with the Boys,” a non-fiction historical chapter book based on Miller’s true story from the mid-’70s. Tesiero-Miller also collaborated with his mom on two children’s picture books: “The Stray” in 2019 and “The Runaway” in 2021.
“Sammy’s Special Hanukkah” drops in mid-November. Published by Tabletop, it’s presented in a font specially designed to cater to dyslexic readers, and includes fun, interactive activities young readers can use to experience the story alongside Sammy.
“This is not common practice,” explains Jessica Senesac, co-founder of Tabletop Publishing. “It’s something that makes Tabletop books special. We do this because we believe in making good books accessible to all readers. We don’t want our books to be the thing that makes a kid hate reading, for any reason. Kate [Kropp], our CEO, is dyslexic, and so are loved ones in both co-founders’ families. This is also why there are writing and drawing activity spaces in every chapter. It’s something near and dear to our hearts.”
Charlene Arsenault can be reached at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
