Cornelia Funke Books

This is a beautifully illustrated tale of a young angel, Barnabel, who is desperate to make a difference. He does not understand why, at the very youthful age of 3,022 years, he is still not allowed to cross the bridge which spans the stars to the human world and help. This is a book about dealing with ‘dark things’ and specifically deals with grief and dying and what happens after someone dies, explored through myth and metaphor.

Tianlong, the large, golden-eyed dragon who guards the bridge does not think that Barnabel has enough knowledge to go across and help. So Barnabel sets out on a voyage of discovery, both about the world, the Dark Things and himself until he is finally able to convince Tianlong that he is ready for this most important of jobs.

This is a tale all about finding hope in the darkness and which might also help children dealing with feelings of despair and grief. The illustrations make great use of a limited colour palette (just black and yellow) and make this a wonderful tale to share with older primary children. Dealing with a difficult subject in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way.