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K-3
Illustrated by
Suzy Lee.
"Someday soon, I'll see you. Even though you are there. And I am here. So very far apart. I want to see you now, of course. Right this minute. In a childlike first-person text, a young person describes to a loved one the feeling of missing her and yearning for a reunion, touching on imaginative ways of doing so (rocket ships, jetpacks) along with real-life solutions (sending letters back and forth, video chatting). Lee's warmhearted illustrations--coupled with the book's ingenious design--provide terrific enhancement to the story line. Frequent die-cuts ("used to show how the characters could be physically closer together through the pages"); variations in background colors; different-size pages; and changes in font, style, size, and text placement help pace the events and offer literal windows into the characters' feelings of impatience, frustration, longing, and love. One particularly timely--and humorous--image shows the characters not-quite-centered on their respective computer screens. The end of the book brings unadulterated joy in the form of a tightly held, sunshine-y embrace. While this reassuring picture book is particularly apt for the COVID-19 era, it will be welcomed by anyone suffering separation and seeking comfort.