Maybe Tomorrow? (Review #2) , written by Charlotte Agell, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Isabella L.
Summary: The book, Maybe Tomorrow?, written by Charlotte Angell and illustrated but Ana Ramírez González, is a touching story about the power of friendship and inviting joy into our lives. The story begins with two characters, Elba and Norris, who seem to be opposite in personalities. Elba is very sad and seems weighed down by a giant and heavy black block she always drags around. The giant block is a symbolic way to represent Elba’s loneliness and sadness that is weighing down the joy that could be her life. Contrasting to the character of Elba, the character Norris is a free spirited and joyful creature who is constantly surrounded by a colorful cloud of butterflies. This cloud of butterflies, representing the happiness and weightlessness in Norris’ life due to the positive attitude and joy he constantly has. After these two characters meet, Norris recognizes the sadness that is Elba’s life and offers to bring Elba on a picnic, in an attempt to cheer her up. When Elba denies this offer, Norris says, “maybe tomorrow”, and the two separate again. This type of process, Norris trying to find ways to cheer up Elba, continues for the next few days until Elba finally agrees to travel to the ocean with Norris. Due to the help from the butterflies, the trip is easier because the weight of the block is better supported. On this trip, Elba finally decides to open up to Norris and Norris discovers why Elba has been sad. She had lost a very dear friend. Once they get to the ocean, they are able to slowly talk through Elba’s problems. At the end, when some of the butterflies fly off into the distance, Elba cries, “COME BACK”, revealing the true pain Elba still holds onto from the loss of her best friend. To nurture Elba and calm her down, Norris reassures her and tells her that it is okay to let things go. This is the beginning of the shrinking of Elba’s big block. As she lets go of her past pain and sadness, the block slowly shrinks and Norris’ efforts have finally started to work. One of the most important lines from the book is when Elba says to Norris that her block will never be completely gone, meaning that her sadness from losing her friend will always be with her, but the picture displays a black more than ten times smaller than the original giant one.

Straight Talk for Librarians: There are three themes going on in this book. The first being the importance of friendship and being kind to others. The second being that sadness is a life experience, it may at times weigh us down and overtake the joyful moments. The third point is that pain can take a long time to heal and it becomes a part of you. This book is a good pick for a young reader dealing with grief or loss. It would be good for school counselors to have in their office to share with students who need it. The gentle and soft illustrations complement the text in conveying the emotions and the burden that we have to sometimes carry. An adult may be needed to discuss this book, but it is a book that every library should have available to young readers.