{"title":"Jef Aerts","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJef Aerts\u003c\/strong\u003e creates enchanting children's stories that spark imagination and explore heartfelt themes. His books, such as \u003cem\u003eBigger Than a Dream\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Wings\u003c\/em\u003e, blend lyrical language with vivid storytelling to captivate young readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese works invite children to dream big and embrace the wonders of the world around them, offering gentle lessons wrapped in poetic narratives that encourage curiosity and kindness.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"bigger-than-a-dream-by-jef-aerts-9781646140206","title":"Bigger Than a Dream","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople fear death (apparently just a tiny bit less than public speaking). We don’t know how to talk about it, especially to children, and we’re afraid to bring it up for fear of making people sadder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYet children, especially, have questions, and this incredibly gentle and surprisingly light story is full of both comfort and vividly imagined “answers.” The first one gives the book its title: A boy hears the voice of his sister calling him one day, a sister he’s never met because she died before he was born. The sister in the faded photograph on the wall. So that night he asks his mother what death is like and she tells him, “It’s like dreaming, only bigger.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s lovely, but he still has questions, which it turns out his sister can answer! On a dreamy, carefree adventure they ride their bikes together (not always on the ground), visiting places that were special to her when she was alive. And she talks to him in the older sister, teasing, straightforward, loving way that is exactly what he needs. (It turns out that death is not the only thing that can be \u003cem\u003eBigger Than a Dream\u003c\/em\u003e.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMuch, much more than bibliotherapy, this is a work of art that speaks with honesty and tenderness about one of life’s great mysteries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48018139316460,"sku":"9781646140206","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781646140206-bigger-than-a-dream.jpg?v=1785220009"},{"product_id":"the-blue-wings-by-jef-aerts-9781646140084","title":"The Blue Wings","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo brothers bound together by affection and responsibility. Jadran is five years older than Josh and huge enough to be nicknamed Giant. Josh is younger and smaller; but his sweet and stubborn brother thinks in a way that would be more typical of a small child. They are both dealing with changes to their newly blended, Muslim family. So Josh looks after Jadran, and they both adjust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the brothers find an injured young crane, Jadran wants to bring it back to their small apartment and teach it to fly at any cost. And it turns out the cost is high.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIntensely moving without ever slipping into sentimentality, \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Wings\u003c\/em\u003e is a warm, love-filled story about fragility, strength, and brotherhood, in all its complications.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48018174083308,"sku":"9781646140084","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781646140084-the-blue-wings.jpg?v=1785220770"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/jef-aerts.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}