Maple & Willow Apart

by Lori Nichols, Lori Nichols (Illustrator)

Overview

Funny, relatable sibling dynamics make this story a wonderful way to address navigating big changes. Lori Nichols’s expressive artwork beautifully portrays Maple and Willow’s strong bond, and children will love the creative, kid-powered solution.
 
Maple and Willow have always been inseparable. So what happens when Maple starts big-girl school and Willow stays behind? Well, of course, both girls have marvelous adventures of their own, but the truth is, they miss each other. And when they see that the missing is mutual, they find a unique way to feel connected even when they have to be apart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399167539
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	297,322
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Lori Nichols (www.lorinichols.com) also wrote and illustrated the award-winning Maple and Maple & Willow Together. She spent her childhood in northwestern Pennsylvania picking up acorns, playing rock school and befriending bugs. She now lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and three free-spirited daughters. Many days you can find Lori and her family climbing trees or collecting discarded birds’ nests. She still picks up acorns.

Editorial Reviews

…[an] utterly charming series about two tree-loving sisters…Nichols's touch is light and deft as ever…

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

* “Nichols’ pencil and digitally colored illustrations perfectly convey just how close Maple and Willow are . . . [and] keep the focus on the girls and their relationship. . . . Ideal for sharing with sibling pairs about to be parted by the first day of school.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Emphasizes the change of seasons through an accessible child-centered perspective. . . . Illustrations enhance the sweet girls’ interactions. . . . Fall into this lovely addition as sisters adjust to the excitement and the changes of a new year ahead.”—School Library Journal

“The playful pastel-and-line artwork, with backgrounds of autumnal trees, is as adorable as ever. . . . The happy ending is expected—sisterhood forever!—but is satisfying nonetheless.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2015-05-12
Two sisters must adjust to being apart when one starts kindergarten. Nichols' pencil and digitally colored illustrations perfectly convey just how close Maple and Willow are—they even sometimes use pig Latin to communicate. The two spend the whole summer together, but they play especially hard the day before the Monday that Maple boards the school bus. Bereft, Willow doesn't quite know what to do with herself without her best friend. That afternoon, she's assaulted with a (not unkind) verbal barrage of all the exciting events of the first day at school, Maple's nose in the air, as if bragging. But as the week wears on, Willow learns to explore on her own and use her imagination to entertain herself, even gaining a new best friend: Pip, an acorn. And as Willow tells Maple about her own day, Maple's excitement wanes; though she likes school, she misses her sister, who sweetly finds a way to include Maple in what she is missing at home. Spot, full- and double-page illustrations with white backgrounds keep the focus on the girls and their relationship. Willow's footie pajamas, overalls, and high pigtails emphasize that she is younger than her sister, as do the girls' activities—Maple rides a two-wheeler, while Willow sits astride a branch with one end bent like handlebars. Ideal for sharing with sibling pairs about to be parted by the first day of school. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews