"Dad asked what I was doing.
When I told him, he got really quiet.
I get it.
It's a big idea.
One time you said people get nervous
around big ideas.
But not me."
It's very clear from the first page that the story's narrator has a definite plan in mind. She is building a rocket ship with 'cardboard, tape and tinfoil, a cushion, batteries and Bernadette'. Even in the darkness, with flashlight at hand, she continues her work. Bernadette keeps her company. As she builds, she shares memories with an unseen other person. She says she has kept the materials from when the two built a robot.
Dad is interested in knowing what's going on. While explaining, she notices that her dad is very quiet. She knows it is a big job; that's what makes it worth doing. She lets readers know that the person she is so dearly missing said she would always feel a presence. The child is not sure that is true; her rocket ship will offer the chance to see them again. She continues to add items to the ship that remind her of the one she misses so badly. She is preparing every day.
"I built it because I made you a promise
to remember.
And I do.
I remember everything."
Dad does his best to temper the anticipation. She won't give up. She thinks she has exactly what she needs; it doesn't seem just right yet. Only one more thing is needed: her loved one's favorite paint color so she can be seen as she rockets upward.
Sad and lovely, yearning and hopeful, full of grief and love, it is a memorable look at a child's response to the loss of one so loved. Soft, quiet artwork ensures a warm and comforting feeling.
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