Katja Henkel with illustrations by Sybille Hein Der Himmel soll warten! (Heaven can wait!) Bloomsbury Kinderbücher & Jugendbücher Berlin, 2005, 160 pp. ISBN: 3-8270-5108-8 Julian and Greta's much-loved grandmother, Omalotte, is no longer with them, and the gap she leaves behind is a big one. No one can take her place, certainly not their mother's new lover, Michael, pleasant though he is. Greta misses the goodnight stories and kiss from Omalotte, and often clambers into her big brother's bed to sleep next to him and to dream of ways of causing her grandmother to return: she thinks she knows a thing or two about heaven, and the journey there, and believes Omalotte is still within reach. If they can only prove to her how much they need her back, surely she won't abandon them. And so a plan is hatched. The children determine to be as badly behaved, disobedient and uncharacteristically sulky as possible to convince their grandmother that all is not well and that only she can sort the situation out - from disregarding homework to destroying the Christmas cookies, and then, more seriously, getting deliberately lost on a seaside day out. When none of this works, Julian decides there is only one way to get her back - to go and fetch her, even though that involves inviting death in. In a whimsical and humorous twist we discover Omalotte is still in that place in-between, watched over by an increasingly frustrated angel, and when all becomes critical she can intervene one last time, appreciating this chance of taking her leave slowly from her grandchildren. The illustrations by Sybille Hein match the mood of the writing perfectly and will appeal to those who like the Le petit Nicolas drawings. This is a humorous and warmly told tale of learning how to let go of those you love most and pouring your energies into possible new beginnings.