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Summary
Summary
A heartwarming story about loss, healing, and how to be a friend during hard times.
This tender exploration of loss illuminates the sustaining power of kindness, empathy, and friendship. It will resonate with anyone who has experienced hardship or grief, from the death of a loved one or a pet, to the transition to a new home, family situation, or learning environment. It is especially comforting during this time of social distancing and the uncertainty around what the future holds, sensitively demonstrating that we are stronger together.
"[Offers] hope that the world can be beautiful place...an excellent purchase." -- School Library Journal
"Demonstrate[s] the power of patience, listening, and simply showing up." -- Kirkus Reviews
Elba has a big block. She's been dragging it around for a long time.
Norris dances everywhere he goes, even uphill. He is always surrounded by a happy cloud of butterflies.
Can Norris and his butterflies help ease Elba's sadness and convince her to join them on a trip to the ocean?
Author Notes
Charlotte Agell was born in Norsjo, Sweden, and grew up in Montreal, Canada. She is the mother of two grown children and works as a teacher in Saco, Maine. She is the author and illustrator of several picture books, chapter books, and young adult fiction published in Canada and abroad.
Ana Ramírez González fell in love with Maybe Tomorrow? on the first read. "I felt Elba's burden and Norris's kindness in a way that was very personal. The text pulled at my heart because it resonated with something I was experiencing at that time. I felt like fate brought this project to me, and creating the pictures has been healing." Ana worked as a visual development artist on Pixar's Oscar-winning film Coco and illustrated the companion picture book Coco: Miguel and the Grand Harmony . She grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico, and lives in Oakland, California.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Elba, a pink hippopotamus, is weighed down by a heavy black block. Representing depression, anxiety, or sadness, the block is physically tethered to Elba, and greatly limits what she can do. Enter Norris, an alligator so cheerful that he dances everywhere he goes, "even uphill," surrounded by bevy of butterflies. Norris kindly but persistently encourages Elba to join him in various activities. Slowly, patiently, he cajoles Elba to try a few new things, always in a way that is comfortable for her. When it is raining, Norris joins Elba sitting on her block, and they quietly have tea. When Norris wants to go to the beach, he and the butterflies help Elba move the block. As they spend more time together, Elba eventually tells Norris about her friend, Little Bird, who is gone. Nonspecific about Little Bird's whereabouts, the painfulness of loss is a emotion that many children will recognize. Norris's concern for Elba does not erase her pain, but helps her manage it a little better. Watercolor, charcoal, graphite, and a combination of traditional and digital brushes are used to create appealing illustrations that acknowledge Elba's sadness while still offering hope that the world can be beautiful place. VERDICT This sensitive story will be valuable to adults helping children recognize and understand grief; an excellent purchase.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Norris the alligator is optimism personified: he's so upbeat that a cloud of fluttering butterflies surrounds him wherever he goes. Elba, a pink hippo, couldn't be more different: she spends her days sitting on a big black block. ("Is it fun?" asks Norris. "Not really. No," Elba replies.) With Norris's gentle prodding and willingness to befriend her as she is, Elba reveals that she is mourning the loss of her dear friend, Little Bird ("She taught me to sing. We were hardly ever apart"), and the box gradually shrinks-not disappearing altogether, but growing small enough for Elba to move through the world again, in the company of her new friend. Agell doesn't make the friendship a teachable moment for irrepressible Norris. He seems to instinctively know how to help his new pal without encroaching on her emotional boundaries; his patient demeanor and her quiet emergence become the story's narrative. Ramirez's sunny digitized watercolors echo this hopeful mood with a lightness and energy. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Hippo-like animal Elba is weighted down by a big black block that she drags behind her everywhere. When she meets effervescent reptile Norris, he helps her to talk about the loss of a friend, and the block gets smaller and lighter. Ramírez González's bright mixed-media illustrations bring hope to this useful parable about the burden of sadness and the importance of sharing feelings with supportive friends. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Cheerful green alligator Norris attempts to befriend Elba, a pink hippo burdened by a mysterious black block. Norris may initially appear to be a suspiciously friendly predator, but, as evidenced by the cloud of butterflies that accompanies him everywhere, he is genuinely considerate. He finds Elba sitting on her block in the park and invites her on a picnic, then continues to check in with her after she declines. Elba is surprised when Norris joins her in sitting on her block, telling her he feels "something [sad] in there" and that "it wants to come out." "Maybe tomorrow," he says after they sit in silence each day. With Norris' patient encouragementobserve his hopeful smile as they drink tea in the rain!Elba soon agrees to visit the ocean with him, though she doubts she can make it that far with her block: "It's too heavy.Right?" she asks, which he does not deny, instead responding, "My butterflies and I will help you." As they slowly walk to the ocean, Elba finally opens up to Norris about the deep sadness her block represents. His empathetic response and its surprising result demonstrate the power of patience, listening, and simply showing up when loved ones are navigating difficult emotions. Ramrez's illustrations, done in a combination of traditional and digital media, utilize bright, textured colors, simple rounded shapes, and subtle yet eloquent facial expressions to sweetly emphasize the characters' emotional journey.A poignant exploration of depression, grief, and friendship. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
