Rudi was often sick, but that didn't stop him from coming over and painting tulips on the garden gate,

Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Jane Dyer
Format: Board
Published: Harcourt, 1993

In simple, accessible language, a young girl narrates this story about the death of her friend, Rudi. Rudi was often sick, but that didn't stop him from coming over and painting tulips on the garden gate, making hummingbird feeders, or taking walks to the pond. Then, Rudi's heart condition worsens and he is taken to the hospital. When Rudi dies, the young narrator writes poems and draws pictures in an effort to memorialize her beloved friend. Finally, she decides that the best way to remember Rudi would be at the pond. The small stone pond with a hummingbird feeder hung directly above it provides a source of solace and joy for Rudi?s friend.