"She's reading a book about space!!
Then she looks up. Her eyes are black-
black like two little asteroids.
She notices me, my book, and my
astonished face. Her face lights up
with a beautiful smile. Her teeth
are just as regular as her toenails.
And that is how I met Aicha."
Do you want to know about love? Two young people who live in Montreal meet by chance when Yakov visits the park with his sisters. He is given the job of looking out for them. Finding their games boring, he reads about the stars he loves, and dreams of being an astronaut. His father has other ideas; he wants his son to learn about the family's business and take over running it when he is older.
One day at the park he meets a girl who also loves space. She is a newcomer to the neighborhood, and the two become fast friends. They spend as much time as possible together, searching the stars for the constellations they read about in books from the library. Seeing this, their fathers worry about their attraction to each other. It is decided they can no longer spend time together. There comes a time when Aicha moves away. Yakov finds work, after much study, with NASA, building space probes.
In a book about shared interests and deep friendship, will the two find each other again? Perhaps as adults, they will have a voice in their own futures.
In Jacques Goldstyn's deft hands, with detailed spreads and panelled plot points, the story and artwork create a seamless look at friendship that will resonate with the target audience and provide opportunities for careful thought and much discussion. What a lovely story this is!
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