Visiting You: A Journey of Love

 Visiting You: A Journey of Love

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       March 11, 2018

 

Author  Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg and Andrea Edmonds

Distributor:      EK Books
ISBN:                 9781925335668
Publisher:         Exile Publishing/EK Books
Release Date:   March 2018  

Website:    https://ekbooks.org 

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This is a story about a journey. It is about the journeys we take to see the people we love. It shows many people visiting loved ones young and old, and how these journeys are pathways which we all must walk. This tale begins with a young girl and her mother boarding a train. Each day the young girl meets someone and asks who they are visiting.

On the train, she spoke to a grumpy looking man, who told her about spending the day with his daughter and how much fun they had. When they caught the bus, the girl asked an elderly man who he was visiting.  He told her about his wife, who didn’t remember him anymore. Another young girl sat next to the mother and child on the tram. This young person was going to visit her Aja, or grandpa, who had also lost his memory. Another woman was visiting her son in hospital.

The girl identified the love these people felt. She compares it to the love she feels when she visits her person, (presumably her father), and she is joyous to be seeing him again. This is a very interesting way to deal with a child who has experienced a loved one in hospital. Looking at other people’s journeys and situations must help with the reality of her situation.

The book has delicate paint wash illustrations that suit the tone of the story well. There is a gentleness and positivity about the story, and the colours reflect this. The only clue we have is “ Mama looks worried and tired….I tell her that you’ll be alright.” The end pages at the front show mother and daughter standing uncertainly before they move on, and the end pages at the back show the daughter happily leading her mother towards someone they both love. No matter what the outcome of father’s condition, the reader feels that the positive thoughts and the love that surrounds the girl will help her to cope.

 

Childrens