Maia and Nico are best friends. They never get tired of playing together. Unexpectedly, though, Nico and his family have to move far away for a while. Maia is devastated. Now time passes slowly, and the emptiness is with Maia everywhere she goes. She makes her way through the dark days, bored and alone. But, slowly, things begin to change, and...Maia meets an unexpected companion...She makes a new friend...She even discovers a new passion. Her life has become so happy and full, in fact, that she worries there will no longer be enough room for Nico.
Of course, when he returns, she discovers there is. As Maia learns, "There is always space in your heart for friendship."
This poetic, touching picture book sensitively explores a child's capacity for friendship and the range of feelings experienced while trying to cope with loss. It speaks to the resilience of children as well, and the experience of growing up and discovering that welcoming new things and people into your life doesn't mean losing the old.
"This is a sweet story about experiencing separation and loss, with illustrations and words that can assist children in expressing their feelings. The author provides an excellent representation of abstract feelings in a concrete way that children can grasp: a dark hole that needs to be filled. The flat, graphic-style illustrations on glossy pages are simple, vivid, and quite lovely." — Mary Hazelton, School Library Journal
Recommended Age | 4 - 7 |
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Author | Andrea Maturana |
Illustrator | Francisco Javier Olea |
ISBN | 1771386118 |
Publication Date | Apr 5, 2016 |
Publisher | Kids Can Press |
Language | English |