Faraway Family

“A young child, initially excited about traveling, becomes understandably anxious about visiting extended family. . . . At the airport, the ‘old couple’ are unrecognizable: ‘I know they’re family, but they feel like strangers to me.’ . . . Grandma finally helps the exhausted grandchild to bed, but the fan and the nightlight both turn off following a power outage. Grandma soon appears with a flashlight and an entire menagerie of animals—cleverly created with hand shadows—that entertain and soothe the child until they can ‘understand each other perfectly.’ In the morning, delicious cooking smells welcome a brand-new day—and outlook: ‘We aren’t just family, forced to be together. We’re friends too.’ Wong transforms Venkatraman’s sweet debut picture book into a magnificent visual feast of inviting spreads, notably enhanced with intricate details and textures. Her various points of view—zoomed-out crowded airport, distanced snapshot of the dense city, overview of the laden dinner table, final multigenerational close-up—underscore the stages of family reunion. A heartwarming story—gorgeously, vibrantly illustrated—of family bonding.” —Kirkus Reviews