My Brother Is Away

Illustrated by Luisa Uribe
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Hardcover
$18.99 US
On sale Oct 11, 2022 | 40 Pages | 9780593127162

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In this moving picture book, a young girl reflects on the emotions and challenges of growing up with a brother who is incarcerated. This touching story is filled with vivid illustrations and is based on the author’s childhood experiences.

An NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor BookNPR Best Book of the Year A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book


With her older brother in prison, a young girl copes with the confusing feelings his absence creates. At times she remembers the way her brother would carry her on his shoulders or how he would make up stories to tell her at bedtime. Other times she feels angry and wants to fly so far away that she can forget what happened.

When her Mama and Daddy take her on the 500-mile journey to visit him, a trip she knows not all families are able to make, the girl is excited but also nervous. But the nerves turn to joy when she sees him—everything is different, but everything is the same too. Her brother is not home, but his love hasn’t changed.  

With words that are spare, gentle, and reassuring, this picture book will help young readers with similar stories feel less alone and give other readers a window into the struggles some children face.
Luisa Uribe is an illustrator living in Bogotá, Colombia. She was the 2018 recipient of the Society of Illustrators Dilys Evans Founder’s Award for The Vast Wonder of the World (Millbrook Press, Lerner Publishing Group), and has illustrated titles with HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Albert Whitman, and many others. Her art has been featured in Iberoamérica Ilustra, a catalog showcasing the best work by Spanish-speaking illustrators. Luisa’s primary passion is children’s books, although she is regularly inspired by the world around her and seeks ways to include these observations in her illustrations. View titles by Luisa Uribe

About

In this moving picture book, a young girl reflects on the emotions and challenges of growing up with a brother who is incarcerated. This touching story is filled with vivid illustrations and is based on the author’s childhood experiences.

An NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor BookNPR Best Book of the Year A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book


With her older brother in prison, a young girl copes with the confusing feelings his absence creates. At times she remembers the way her brother would carry her on his shoulders or how he would make up stories to tell her at bedtime. Other times she feels angry and wants to fly so far away that she can forget what happened.

When her Mama and Daddy take her on the 500-mile journey to visit him, a trip she knows not all families are able to make, the girl is excited but also nervous. But the nerves turn to joy when she sees him—everything is different, but everything is the same too. Her brother is not home, but his love hasn’t changed.  

With words that are spare, gentle, and reassuring, this picture book will help young readers with similar stories feel less alone and give other readers a window into the struggles some children face.

Author

Luisa Uribe is an illustrator living in Bogotá, Colombia. She was the 2018 recipient of the Society of Illustrators Dilys Evans Founder’s Award for The Vast Wonder of the World (Millbrook Press, Lerner Publishing Group), and has illustrated titles with HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Albert Whitman, and many others. Her art has been featured in Iberoamérica Ilustra, a catalog showcasing the best work by Spanish-speaking illustrators. Luisa’s primary passion is children’s books, although she is regularly inspired by the world around her and seeks ways to include these observations in her illustrations. View titles by Luisa Uribe