Review by Booklist Review
Alone in her small house, Badger stares out the window across an expanse of the ocean, sadly wishing for Bear. A beautifully composed spread captures the time difference. In the center of the page is a circle, one half the moon, the other the sun. In reflecting images, Badger goes to bed while Bear has breakfast. Although they talk on the phone, the distance is hard. Badger lashes out at the sea and, surprisingly, receives a reply: the sea says it will let Badger cross if she brings it a series of gifts. Seeking these gifts forces Badger to look more closely at her home and the potential beauty and friends around her. Sea-toned watercolor illustrations suit and expand the text perfectly, with important visual details adding to the wordplay. As Badger's point of view changes, the sea that was an obstacle can also be seen as a connection to Bear. Few specifics about the relationship between the two make this thoughtful story applicable to any situation that forces loved ones to be separated.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With soft colors and an attentive, furred protagonist, this tale of yearning carries the quietest of messages. Badger looks out her window, gazing wistfully at the vast, gray-green sea, whose texture and motion Gilmore (Terrific!) represents in muted watercolors and wispy ink strokes. Badger's friend Bear lives on the sea's other side, so far away that when Badger goes to bed, Bear is just getting up. In her loneliness, Badger approaches the in-the-way sea, and the body of water makes an offer: "Bring me something nice, and I'll let you cross." A new companion--a large, noisy bird with "feathers the color of a storm"--approaches Badger and helps with the search. But the sea makes another demand, and then another, a final ask that requires Badger to make a terrible choice. In Gilmore's austere, almost mythic images, the sea grasps at its desire with dozens of small waves that look eerily like hands. Though she's come so close to having what she wants, Badger reaches for a reframe (and a telephone) in this powerful story about learning to connect with faraway loved ones and care for one's immediate community, too. Ages 4--8. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two animals separated by a vast body of water find a way to connect. Badger and Bear live in simple cottages on opposite sides of the sea. Both care for each other, but Badger is clingier, wishing Bear "could tuck her in" and feeling too emotional to talk on their phone calls--a moment that will resonate with anyone who has ached for another but frozen under the pressure to find the right words. Finally, Badger has had enough and tries to cross the sea. After a botched rowboat ride lands her back where she started, a frustrated Badger attempts to negotiate with the sea, which spits back requests for objects as barter for passage. As Badger seeks these items, a bird shadows her, eventually providing a much-needed anchor; somehow, the journey across the water seems less important now, but the friendship between the two remains strong. Unlike many narratives about being apart from a loved one, this one doesn't end in blissful reunion; instead, an open-ended conclusion leaves room for conversation and wondering. Hands will be picking up the phone to dial a beloved friend or family member after closing this book. Muted greens, soft grays, and spots of sleepy red complement the quiet yet potent prose, making for an insightful commentary on separation. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Dreamy, smart waves of love, longing, listening, and learning. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
