Sophie and her adoptive father, whom she calls "My Michael," are family.
Michael is a good singer, not a great cook (though Sophie likes the "burned-y bits") and he takes care of Sophie when she's sick by giving her crackers and ginger ale. Sophie might have put blue paint in the blender and left the lid off, and drawn pictures on their apartment door...but Michael says she's his universe.
When Michael gets sick, square crackers and ginger ale don't help. Sophie gives Michael the Big Dipper for his wall, and that makes him smile. Even though Michael doesn't look sick, Sophie knows the truth. And just like he's there for her, she'll be there for him no matter what.
Praise for Heather Smith:
★ "A beautifully rendered tale of loss, love, grief, and gentle healing."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review for The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden
★ "A moving tale...offers comfort and peace to those left behind."-Booklist, starred review for The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden
★ "An affecting, well-rendered resource for talking about catastrophes and grief both personal and communal."-Publisher Weekly, starred review for The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden
★ "Smith spins a quietly moving narrative...The graceful way in which this book handles a sensitive and serious subject makes it a first purchase for most picture book collections."-School Library Journal, starred review for The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden
★"Compassionately explores how grief affects children and adults alike and how to forgive the perfectly imperfect people who love us."-Booklist, starred review for The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale
Key Selling Points
• Sophie's adoptive father My Michael is a good singer, a not-so-great cook, and a stellar dad. When he develops a chronic, invisible illness, their lives change-but Sophie knows that because they have each other, they'll be okay.
• Despite its serious theme of invisible illness, the story is optimistic and lighthearted, focused most on the love of a parent and child.
• Represents an adoptive family as a secondary storyline and shows how loving and powerful Sophie's and her father's relationship is.
• Takes on the topic of chronic illness in an age-appropriate and relatable way and particularly shines a light on "invisible" illnesses; would make a great discussion topic for a classroom, to help build compassion and understanding for anyone whose condition may not be readily apparent.
• Contains an author's note explaining the inspiration for the book, which is the author's own struggle with long COVID and her son's diagnosis with ulcerative colitis.
• Catherine Petit's warm, welcoming illustrations capture the humour of the story and the beautiful connection between the main characters.
• Heather Smith is a bestselling author of several picture books, including The Phone Book in Mr. Hirota's Garden, which won the IBBY Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
In this touching picture book, Sophie's adoptive father, whom she calls "My Michael," develops a chronic, invisible illness. But even though Michael can't always do the things he used to, he's still Sophie's universe-and she is his.
Heather Smith is the author of several picture books, including the award-winning The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden. Her middle-grade novel The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale has been named a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year, and her picture book Waking Ben Doldrums was shortlisted for the IBBY Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award. Originally from Newfoundland, Heather now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her family.
Catherine Petit once worked as a lawyer before realizing she is happiest surrounded by paper and pens. In 2016, Catherine illustrated her first children's book, Une bestiole à l'école. Since then, she's illustrated more than 35 childre
