She’s an astronaut. She’s a dreamer.
She longs to be near her Dad, but Mica’s father is far away.
She misses him and she longs to be with him, so when a call to adventure shoots through her window on a star, she answers, and enters a magical and strange world of lightning fish, an ancient rainforest and a planet of paper aeroplanes.
Mica the Star Sailor is an exploration of family, love, loss and the power that lives in our hearts to reach out and connect with people in the past, present, future and the impossible spaces in between.
Author, illustrator and all round super star Bertie Blackman notes the book is an expression of the longing for the special times she had with her father when she was young, before he became ill with dementia.
Knowing this, the longing and power of family really radiates from the pages. Pain, sorrow, love and joy all jump from the book. But even without this knowledge, the specialness of the book is there for all to see.
This is a picture book that will mean different things to different people. Some will read it and see themselves and their own families in it. Some will read it and be inspired by the magical, curious adventure Mica goes on.
But whoever you are, I promise this is a read unlike most. It is powerful, with poetic flare. Mica the Star Sailor is a book you’ll remember and a book you’ll get more from with every read-through.
Title: Mica the Star Sailor
Author/Illustrator: Bertie Blackman
Publisher: Affirm Press, $29.99
Publication Date: 25 September 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781925972900
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book
