First published 2023
Maribel starts a new life in America with her mother, but Papa stays behind in the Philippines. Everything feels different here. New school, new friends, new seasons she has never experienced. Papa feels both everywhere and nowhere. She remembers their morning routine of feeding koi fish together. She maps constellations and imagines showing Papa her American world. Letters and packages travel between them across the ocean. Through spring rain and summer heat, through autumn leaves and winter snow, Maribel counts the days. The distance stretches 8,000 miles, but their connection remains strong. As the seasons complete their cycle, Maribel learns what it means to hold someone close even when they are far away. This picture book captures the experience of immigrant families separated by borders and bureaucracy, showing how love persists across any distance.
Genres: family, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: America, Philippines
Period: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
40 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins