Review by Booklist Review
Utilizing a flip-book format, Desnitskaya follows two children in different parts of the world as their stories intersect at the book's center. Lena lives with her mother and grandmother on the eastern coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, where she enjoys nature, reading, playing video games, and walking her dog. Lucas lives with his family on Chile's western coast; he likes collecting fossils, playing soccer, reading, and playing computer games. Both long for a friend and, using their flashlights late one night, beam Morse code messages across the ocean. Desnitskaya's thoughtful, smoothly translated prose speaks to the many similarities between these two children. The illustrations, rendered in a naive style, emphasize both domestic spaces and the physical distinctions of each setting. The layout includes a combination of full-page scenes, smaller inset spot drawings (many captioned), and panels. Most striking is the inclusion of transparent yellow figures (representing Lena and Lucas) who each appear in the other's story, foreshadowing a potential later meeting. A reminder that we share more similarities than differences, this speaks to anyone longing for a friend.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Two children existing by the sea connect across an expanse in this beautifully drawn tête-bêche-style volume that offers two stories. On one side of the book, conversational lines introduce tan-skinned Vera, who lives on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula; only the vast Pacific Ocean stretches beyond this easternmost point. Vera loves syrniki, knows Morse code, and longs for a friend, imagined by Desnitskaya as a scribbly yellow line figure. At night, Vera shines a flashlight across the ocean, blinking in Morse code, "Hi, I'm Vera." Turning the book over and opening the cover reveals brown-skinned Lucas, who lives across the Pacific from Vera, on the coast of Chile. Lucas wants to be a paleontologist, loves hamburgers, also knows Morse code, and, too, wants a friend, imagined in yellow line drawings. At the edge of the sea, Lucas signs in Morse code: "Hi, I'm Lucas." When the signals head out, something unexpected happens, and readers' knowledge of the characters reaching out offers a satisfying connection in this evocative double portrait. Ages 7--11. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up--This is two parallel stories in one. Each story is about a lonely child, in a remote village, at the edge of their respective nations. Vera lives in Russia, Lucas in Chile. Each child narrates their day. They describe their family life, how they spend their free time, what books they like, and hobbies they wish they could share if only they had friends. At night, they stand on the edge of the ocean, shine a flashlight into the night, and imagine they are receiving a response. The children's stories share an identical structure, and their experiences and interests have subtle overlap. For instance, Vera's favorite book is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which Lucas is reading. Lucas plays a video game about taming wild horses, and Vera wishes she had that skill. Equally sophisticated artwork complements the text. Interior and exterior environments are beautifully portrayed in pen and ink. The characters share the same languid charm as the narrative. The color yellow is expertly and sparingly deployed. Each child appears, in yellow outline only, sporadically in the other's narrative, as if they are sharing the same space despite being thousands of miles apart. And the bright narrow beam of the yellow flashlight connects the two across the middle of the book and across the globe. Endpapers illustrate the Morse code alphabet. A digital copy was supplied for review; the pages appear to flip in the middle, creating a two-sided book where both stories begin at the cover and meet at their endings. VERDICT A tender and beautiful work about loneliness and yearning for connection. A modern classic.--Chance Lee Joyner
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Finding a friend might be easier than it seems. Vera lives in Russia, on the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula; Lucas lives in a small town on the coast of Chile. They reside on opposite edges of the world, in desolate locations by the Pacific Ocean; both long for a friend with whom they can share their days. This uniquely designed work, translated from Russian, allows readers to choose which character's life to explore first. They can follow Vera on a typical day of playing with Mukha the dog and making a sekretik, a "little secret treasure," or they can flip the book over to accompany Lucas on a day playing soccer and reading. A yellow line drawing of the friend whom each hopes for accompanies both children throughout the rich, stylized illustrations. For both, the day culminates in a trip to the beach, where they stand at the shore with a flashlight and transmit a greeting in Morse code, hoping to befriend someone beyond the edge of the world. Despite the physical impossibility of their messages reaching anyone, they each receive a response. The book is formatted so that Vera's and Lucas' flashlight messages make up the hinge of the book, linking the two stories and forming the beating heart of this sweet, whimsical tale of loneliness and connection against the odds. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Will spark joy and inspire. (International Morse code alphabet) (Picture book. 7-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
