Away

by Emil Sher, Qin Leng (Illustrator)

Overview

Love shines through in the sticky notes shared between a mother and daughter in this picture book about making time for family in the midst of our busy lives.

Between work and school, homework and housework, a mother and daughter don’t always get to spend as much time together as they’d like. Add to that a little girl’s fears about leaving home for the first time, and the need to stay close through handwritten notes becomes even more important. As the camp departure date gets closer, Mom does her best to soothe her daughter’s nerves. A visit from her grandmother helps to calm her fears and convince her that she’ll have a good time, even away from her mother and beloved cat. Camp ends up being a wonderful adventure – but nothing is sweeter than a back-at-home reunion.

Qin Leng’s watercolor illustrations are the perfect complement to Emil Sher’s simple text. This nuanced story about a parent and child’s unconventional way of connecting is full of humor and affection. Young readers will enjoy spotting Lester the cat as he paws his way into the story.

Key Text Features

speech bubbles

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554984831
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	04/01/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

EMIL SHER writes prose and plays for the young and the once-were-young. His first young adult novel, Young Man with Camera, was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award and was a CLA Book of the Year for Children Award Honour Book. Other works include Mittens to Share, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher, and two board books called A Button Story and A Pebble Story. Emil is a laureate of the 2014 K.M. Hunter Artist Award in Literature and a gold medal at the New York International Festival. Emil has written acclaimed stage adaptations of Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine and The Boy in the Moon by Ian Brown. He lives in Toronto.

QIN LENG lives and works as a designer and illustrator in Toronto. She graduated from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema and has received many awards for her animated short films and artwork. Her picture books include Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin by Chieri Uegaki (APALA Award, Governor General’s Literary Award finalist); Away by Emil Sher and A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O’Leary (both USBBY Outstanding International Books); When I Found Grandma by Saumiya Balasubramaniam (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award finalist) and I Am Small, which Qin has written and illustrated.

Editorial Reviews

With an entertainingly offbeat storytelling format and fantastic artwork full of eye-catching details … this endearing picture book with an empowering message of bravery will surely resonate with little ones nervous about their own burgeoning independence.

STARRED REVIEW Booklist

Praise for Away:
Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year
Cooperative Children's Book Center Best of the Year
CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens
Denver Public Library Best Children's and Teen Books

"Leng's breathy illustrations exude the easy energy of the characters while bringing their deceptively simple notes to full emotional life … Untrammeled and honest." — Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

"With intricate images to pore over, this enchanting and original title is ideal for one-on-one sharing and the perfect antidote for children dreading their first overnight trip. Superb." — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"With an entertainingly offbeat storytelling format and fantastic artwork full of eye-catching details … this endearing picture book with an empowering message of bravery will surely resonate with little ones nervous about their own burgeoning independence." — Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

Praise for A Button Story (written by Emil Sher)

“A simple story about art and ingenuity unfolds through sparse text and clever illustrations… A sweet, unassuming tale for adult and child to share.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Happy Birthday, Alice Babette (illustrated by Qin Leng)

"Leng’s airy ink drawings bring just the right chic Parisian energy to this odd-couple story." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Skip is heading to summer camp soon, but despite her mom's reassurance, she's certain that she'll have a terrible time. However, a visit from Mimsy, Skip's maternal grandmother, soon begins to convince the girl that camp might be fun. Unusually—and effectively—the story is told entirely through notes that the mother and daughter leave for each other. Both Skip's and Mom's voices are conveyed adroitly; Mom is patient yet firm ("You won't be gone forever. Just two weeks."), while Skip is relatably insecure and nervous ("I'm not packing. NOT EVER!"). The loose, sketchy illustrations, beautifully rendered in watercolor and ink, rely on an earthy, muted palette to bring soothingly domestic scenes to life. Details such as Lester, Skip's cat, who can be found on most spreads, and a reminder on the calendar to replace a hearing aid battery add to the homey, familiar feeling. The result is an authentic portrait of a loving, diverse family (Skip is brown-skinned, while her mother and grandmother are white). Skip's and her mother's lives are packed with activity, but they are never too busy to support each other. VERDICT With intricate images to pore over, this enchanting and original title is ideal for one-on-one sharing and the perfect antidote for children dreading their first overnight trip. Superb.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

★ 2017-01-17
A busy mother and child stay connected with notes as an important separation approaches in Sher and Leng's debut collaboration.Raiding the fridge for breakfast before school, brown-skinned Skip finds a sticky note from pale-skinned Mom, who has apparently already left, on the door: "Let's have one more movie night before you go." When Mom returns, a similar note awaits her in reply: "I'm not going. Not EVER!" Over the next few days, notes continue appearing from Mom as she readies Skip for an upcoming departure to sleepover camp, as well as notes with replies from Skip, who has no intention of attending camp. Alongside reminders for each other about buying milk, trips to the laundromat, and a visit from Mimsy (grandma), the family's notes also contain a gentle tug of war as Skip adamantly insists that camp is out of the question and Mom patiently counters each concern. Sher manages to capture the familiar anxiety of a first-time camper as well as the quiet persistence of a parent's reassurance as these succinct but affecting messages move steadily from unease to confidence. The sticky notes themselves move in and out of the limelight with each page turn as Leng's breathy illustrations exude the easy energy of the characters while bringing their deceptively simple notes to full emotional life. The open ambiguity of the illustrations will allow readers to imagine Skip as either Mom's biracial biological child or her adoptive child of color. Untrammeled and honest. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews