- Picture Books
- Ages 6–10
- Everyday Life
What Happens Next?
Part of ImaginationView the full series
After his grandpa dies, a boy finds a notebook full of the old man's cheerful theories about heaven and what comes next. A funny, tender picture book that meets one of childhood's biggest questions head-on.
- Best for6–10
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Bittersweet
- Thought provoking
- Whimsical
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
When his grandfather dies, a boy is left wondering the enormous, unanswerable question: what happens next? Then he discovers Grandpa's secret notebook, filled with delightfully specific ideas about the afterlife: what heaven might be like, how you'd get there, what you might come back as, and all the wonderful things a person might do once they're gone. Inspired, the boy adds his own imaginings, and grief gives way, at least for a while, to curiosity, comfort and laughter. Shinsuke Yoshitake takes on the biggest subject of all with his signature deadpan wit and warmth, never dodging the sadness but refusing to let it be the whole story. Told and drawn with lightness and heart, What Happens Next? is a picture book that helps children (and the grown-ups reading with them) hold death and hope in the same hand. Poignant, funny and quietly reassuring, it's a gentle, honest companion for talking about loss and what we imagine lies beyond it.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best from about 6, ideally as a shared read, given its subject; thoughtful readers of 6 to 10 can also read it alone. A gentle, funny companion for a child processing bereavement, though very recently or acutely grieving children may find the direct focus on death hard, so read it together.
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- Best fit · 6–10
- Read aloud · 5–10
- Independent · 6–10
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: death of character, grief.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Grief and loss
- Death of grandparent
- Big questions
- Read aloud
- Philosophy for children
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Recently bereaved and raw
- Wants a strong plot
Particularly good for children who are…
- Bereavement
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A sensitive PSHE anchor for talking about death, loss and grief through story: the grandfather's notebook offers a safe, imaginative frame for children to voice their own questions about what happens when someone dies.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Grandpa's notebook of cheerful theories about heaven turns a scary, sad question into something a child can play with. It's funny where you least expect it, and it takes children's own wonderings about death seriously instead of brushing them off.
- Being understood finally
- Secret world
Why parents love it
A remarkable, funny-tender way into a conversation most books avoid. Yoshitake never denies the grief, but he lets curiosity and laughter sit beside it, giving parents a gentle, honest tool for talking about loss and the afterlife with a child.
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Shared humour
- Indie gem discovery
In the series
Imagination.
5 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Shinsuke Yoshitake.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
