When Aunt Mattie Got Her Wings

K-Gr 2—In her latest installment in the "Lottie" picture book series, featuring the likable chicken and her fine-feathered friends, Mathers explores death with a gentle, yet matter-of-fact, straightforwardness. Lottie's Aunt Mattie is ninety-nine years old and, as best friend Herbie explains, "her motor is all worn out." Lottie travels to the hospital to visit her aunt, for what "may be the last time," along the way reminiscing about fond times spent together. When Lottie finally arrives at Aunt Mattie's bedside, Mathers does not shy away from the gravity of the situation. Lottie is shown holding her aunt's hand, a tear falling from her eye. Aunt Mattie talks about a group waiting for her at the gate; she imagines a cadre of birdie friends next to a commercial airplane ("Out of This World Airlines"), waving and greeting her as she ascends. Soon after, Aunt Mattie dies and Lottie and Herbie must wait for her ashes and deal with their grief. Mather's simple watercolors, constrained within boxed frames on most pages, serve to focus the emotional impact of the sad events, without overwhelming readers. Text that includes terms such as "dead," "funeral home," and "cremated" offer a refreshingly factual and specific depiction of death and dying. While Lottie and Herbie experience the heartache of losing a loved one, they comfort each other and find strength in remembering Aunt Mattie and continuing her tradition of picnicking on Pudding Rock while eating Mattie's signature sandwich: peanut butter and jelly with bananas. A wonderful addition to collections on death and grief for children.—–Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal