The words, the language, the characters, the story, the illustrations, the message. All flawless. All perfect.
In Visiting You, a young boy travels with his mother to visit a family member.
They make this journey several times, and each time, the curious and friendly boy asks a fellow traveller 'who are you going to visit?'.
Each of the travellers tells the boy their story, delving into rich memories filled with love and heartache.
A father visits the daughter he only gets to see sometimes. A man visits his wife everyday in the field beside the church. A girl visits her grandfather even though he doesn’t remember who she is.
This is a powerful picture book that reveals to children that love comes in many forms, and even when things are not perfect, love never fades.
The stunning illustrations will pull you into a world of families and memories. Rich and detailed, the characters come to life on the page, and their changing expressions as they face the everyday and then slip into memory tell a vivid story all on their own.
Visiting You is one of those magical picture books that clings to your heart and soul. The story stays with you long after you close the cover, and you’ll find yourself reaching for it again and again.
And it’s essential reading for children, particularly today. In a world where kids seem to face bigger heartache and harder struggles, it provides a relatable story that shows them we are all bound together by love.
We might all be different — look different, act different and come from different places — but, really, we are all the same. We all love a special someone just as much as the person sitting next to us on the bus loves someone else.
I highly, highly recommend this book. Buy it, borrow it, tackle a crowd to get your hands on it. It’s powerful, awe-inspiring and filled to the brim with love.
Title: Visiting You
Author: Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg
Illustrator: Andrea Edmonds
Publisher: EK Books, $24.99
Publication Date: March 2018
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925335668
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
