A poignant story of parallel lives told from the points of view of two children living on opposite sides of the world. More than anything else they long for a friend and end up making a surprising connection.
In the evening, I go to the shore. I stand next to the ocean and dream. What if I had a friend over there, on the other end of the Earth? I take a small torch out of my pocket so I can send light over the water in the dark. I turn it on and off and on again: Dot - dot - dot - dot. Dot - dot. This is Morse code for “Hi.” I keep blinking the light on the dark shore:
“Hi, I am Vera. Hi, I am Vera.”
“Two children existing by the sea connect across an expanse in this beautifully drawn tête-bêche-style volume that offers two stories. […] something unexpected happens, and readers’ knowledge of the characters reaching out offers a satisfying connection in this evocative double portrait.”
Publishers Weekly - starred review*
“A tender and beautiful work about loneliness and yearning for connection. A modern classic.”
School Library Journal - starred review*
“Will spark joy and inspire.”
Kirkus Reviews
"A reminder that we share more similarities than differences, this speaks to anyone longing for a friend."
Booklist
“In this playful, perceptive book, acclaimed author-illustrator Anna Desnitskaya shares the mirroring lives of two children in two separate but surprisingly similar settings. As readers flip the book between Vera in Russia and Lucas in Chile, they will learn just how big—and how small—a place the world can be.”
— Life is Story
“Translated from Russian, this brilliant two-in-one picture book boasts of a unique concept that is both metaphorical and literal, the two edges meeting in the middle of the ocean (and the middle of the book), as if suggesting that human connection transcends space, distance, and cultural boundaries. And that makes this piece simply beautiful.”
Stories with Jojo
Awards:
★ Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
★ Selected for the Usbby’s 2024 Outstanding International Books List
Rights sold:
World English, Italy, Russia, Germany, France, Mainland China
For foreign rights inquiries, please contact us.
All books by Anna Desnitskaya:
