A Hug on the Wind, written by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Kristina Jones. Orca Books, 2025. $21.95 ages 4 and up

"Grandma held her arms out wide. "We can 
still talk," she said. "I can still tell you stories. 
And I will send you postcards." 

Sam climbed onto her lap.
"But what if I need a hug?"
he asked. "You can't send a hug
in the mail.""

Poor Sam! His many worries begin on the day his grandma tells him she is going to move away for the winter. The two do so much with each other. Sam has questions about each one of those times they spend together. Grandma is always making up stories for his enjoyment. Who will do that now? Or how will they the conduct all the kitchen experiments? How will Sam make a snow fort without her, or read books while they drink hot chocolate? His worries are very real. 

Grandma assures him with warm and loving answers, meant to assuage the emotions he is feeling. She will send postcards to keep her in his thoughts. If he really needs a grandma hug, she will send it on the wind. It can be delivered by the wind right to Sam's door. If there's no wind, and a hot day means all is still, Grandma will send it on a sunbeam. Rainy days where Sam lives mean no sun for a long time. With each voiced concern, Grandma has a believable solution for the problem. 

Sam will make an angel in the snow, while Grandma makes hers on the beach. Finally, Sam asks about bedtime. Grandma's response is full of love. 

"Grandma kissed the top of his head. 

" I will tiptoe outside and whisper to 
the fireflies," she said. "And they will 
flutter into the night sky and disappear, 
like glowing sparks from a fire."" 

Seeing those same lights twinkling in the night sky at his house will let Sam know that Grandma is thinking of him every bedtime. Their love for each other will keep them close, no matter how far apart they might be.  

Kristina Jones sketched her illustrations by hand, and then digitally painted them to allow readers an intimate look at the love shared between a grandson and his grandmother. I like the way she uses both sides of a spread to show the two apart from each other, but ever connected despite the distance.