num_pages: 0
description: A spare powerful story about taking space to process difficult feelingsAfter something bad happens a boy feels sad and gray. Mom and Aunt Cheryl try to talk about it but he feels like running away. So he picks up a shovel and starts digging a tunnel from his room deep down and into the backyard. Out there far from the lights of the house its dark enough that he could disappear. But the quiet distance also gives him the space he needs to see his familys love and start returning home.As he heads back the journey upward is different. He notices familiar details and tunes into his senses. The tunnel isnt so scary this time. The boy emerges into his room just as Mom peeks in. When she notices a twig in his hair he is ready to talk about the tunnel and finds warmth in her gentle acknowledgment: You came back.Quiet emotionally resonant text is paired with grayscale drawings accented with red in this thoughtfully layered exploration of coping with tough emotions and taking time and space to heal.
language: English
title: The Tunnel
publisher: Owlkids