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If You Were Here

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( 36 ratings, 5 reviews)
Brief Description
For kids ages 3-7, this lyrical picture book explores the complex emotions around missing a loved one, with stunning illustrations by Ojibwe artist Maya McKibbin. I wish I could show you...this great big meadow,like a sea of lacy clouds... In this beautiful ode to nature and... Read More
Format: Hardback
$3499
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If You Were Here

For kids ages 3-7, this lyrical picture book explores the complex emotions around missing a loved one, with stunning illustrations by Ojibwe artist Maya McKibbin.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

For kids ages 3-7, this lyrical picture book explores the complex emotions around missing a loved one, with stunning illustrations by Ojibwe artist Maya McKibbin.

I wish I could show you...
this great big meadow,
like a sea of lacy clouds...

In this beautiful ode to nature and mindfulness, a child sets out to explore the environment around their home, using all their senses. Yet, someone important is missing, someone the child wishes could be there on the journey.

Expressive text by Kathy Stinson leaves room for readers' own interpretations about who the child in the story might be missing, while Indigenous illustrator Maya McKibbin's gorgeous images capture the lush beauty of the natural world and the tenderness of a child's emotions.

If You Were Here is the perfect book for helping a child navigate loss or missing someone that can't be there with them.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781771649926

Publisher: Greystone Books,Canada

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 June 2025

Country: Canada

Imprint: Greystone Books,Canada

Illustration: Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Maya McKibbin

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 229.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 40

About the Author

Kathy Stinson has loved reading all her life but was almost thirty before she discovered she loved writing too. Since the publication of Red Is Best in 1982, she has become the author of over fifty titles that include picture books, novels, short stories, biographies, and other works of non-fiction. Mother, stepmother, and grandmother, Kathy is still an avid reader. When not reading or writing, she enjoys photography, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and walking in the woods and fields near her home in Rockwood, Ontario. If You Were Here began with something she wrote for someone unable to join her for a walk on a beach in Scotland more than twenty-five years ago.

Maya McKibbin is a Two-Spirited Ojibwe, Irish filmmaker, illustrator and indie game artist. They grew up in shshlh and later in the Southwest of England. Maya's work explores the magic of the natural world both human and not, their illustrations take on subjects of the supernatural, grief, nostalgia and curiosity.

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