(ARC was provided to read and review.)

The author's son, Malo, was very ill and in a lot of pain, when he was 3. On one of their numerous trips to the hospital, father and son listened to the song "King of Pain" by The Police which was played on the radio.
Sting wrote the lyrics of the song post-separation from his wife and he tried to bring across the emotional turmoil and heartbreak he felt.

Malo immediately understood what it meant to be the King of Pain and the song gave him a way of expressing how much he was scared and affected by his illness. The author felt inspired to combine the song's lyrics with illustrations and put his professional skills as a Professor for graphic design to good use. The result is an excellent picture book.

The book's illustrations are colourful, but minimalistic. Geometric shapes, mostly triangles, show us a fossil that's trapped or a salmon frozen in a waterfall. Not only does the artwork leave room for interpretation, for me there's no doubt, it works. That's how pain looks like.

It doesn't matter, if you are suffering from a broken heart or a severe illness, pain can have many forms, colours and various degrees of intensity and we all experience it differently, every time.
The book will help parents, carers and teachers to speak with young children about pain and if they suffer from it, how much they feel affected by it.
There's a Little Black Spot on the Sun Today is an excellent and very helpful tool when you have to ask your child "What does your pain feel like? Can you tell me?"
Highly recommended. ( )