Description

Celebrate a young child’s journey toward independence in this award-winning picture book, "visual narrative of the highest level."*

With richly evocative art by a two-time winner of NY Times’ Best Illustrated Books, here is a story of separation without anxiety.

After a young boy unties the knot anchoring his small boat near his mother, he slips away from her on a gentle tide. Floating off on a quiet and peaceful journey through town, jungle, and city, the child is all the while watched over by satyrs and wild animals as he passes by. When he floats back to the beach—was it a few hours? a few minutes?—his mother is there at the water's edge right where he left her. Perhaps it was a dream? And yet he has returned from his solo adventure with a gift pressed into his palm, a tiny seed that when planted will grow on its own.

Separation from a parent, whether for a long period or just a few minutes, can fill a child with anxiety, but at other times that same child may struggle to be and do things on their own. Using gouache, collage and watercolor, Lundberg's stunning illustrations in Nobody But Me convey both the child’s agency and the unbreakable bond with his mother. Here is a story that will bring joy to young and old readers alike. 4-7 years.

*August Prize jury