My Mother's Delightful Deaths

What could it mean that your mum is paid to die? It could mean she’s an opera singer!


How does it feel to grow up as the child of a glamorous opera singer? It’s anything but boring! In a single day, Mum’s mood can change—from very quiet to loud to quick-tempered. By day she plays with the children, but at night a transformation occurs! Who will Mother be today? When Mum is on stage, she delights her audience and her countless tragic, but also funny, death scenes leave a special impression. But to her family, she is always Mum.

Carla Haslbauer’s hilarious debut picture book, inspired by the world of opera, reminds us that we all slip into many different roles

“"The detailed illustrations, rendered in a soft pencil style, are sublimely stylish, capturing both cozy home scenes and the flashier theater world. An intriguing and amusing take on the roles that all parents play."”

"...Dryly funny and clever. The detailed illustrations, rendered in a soft pencil style, are sublimely stylish, capturing both cozy home scenes and the flashier theater world."-- "Booklist"
"Quirky, unusual, and quite delightful."-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Colored pencil and watercolor art contrasts soft textures with entertainingly spiky draftsmanship in the cast of faces and lively speech bubbles that ramp up the energy. This will seize the fancy of young drama kids, and it may even encourage a few seemingly staid parents to find their inner hams."-- "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"
"I initially thought the book would mostly be of interest to opera lovers or those in search of a humorous story. But many children have parents' whose professions are mysterious to them, so the book could be fun for families to read together and use as a springboard to discuss what, exactly, adults do at work."-- "Youth Services Book Reviews"
-- "The Horn Book"

Carla Haslbauer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and grew up in the small town of Bad Nauheim. She works as a freelance illustrator since graduating from the Lucerne School of Art and Design. As a member of the comic group Corner Collective, she also regularly creates comics. She finds her inspiration in nature and in the everyday life around her. She likes to dig into her childhood memories and finds many stories worth telling. My Mother’s Delightful Deaths is her first picture book.

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