⭐️ ON FRIDAYS
BY WINSOME BINGHAM ; ILLUSTRATED BY JASON GRIFFIN ‧ RELEASE DATE: SEPT. 1, 2026
A profoundly moving child-centered perspective on grief.
Acommunity of elders helps a child make sense of loss.
“On Fridays after school, I ride the bus to Momma’s job.” Jamar’s mom is a therapist and caretaker of residents at a nursing home—folks who feel truly feel like family. Dancing Mr. Dillon “shuffles, slides, and spins” when he spots Jamar, and newcomer Mr. Riff giggles while “music from his lips and fingertips fills the room.” With her high expectations, “chewy-gooey cookies,” and nurturing gardening skills, Miss Neely is “one of [Jamar’s] favorites.” Her unexpected passing leaves the two elderly men and Momma to explain to Jamar the importance of giving “everyone their flowers while you’re with them. Because you never know when they will be moving on.” Bingham’s melodic first-person text elegantly captures the juxtaposition of Jamar’s highs and lows on delicate cream and blue backdrops that soften the undeniable realities of the child’s hurt. Radiant portraiture of the all-Black cast makes breathtaking use of light and perspective, while looser and lavishly textured mixed-media art features seams, scribbles, and a recurring fuchsia tulip motif. This resonant and blessedly concrete addition to picture books on death suits all collections and includes a creators’ note explaining the story’s origins; this is another powerful collaboration, following The Table (2024), co-authored by Wiley Blevins.A profoundly moving child-centered perspective on grief. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9780823462384
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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