Place Hand Here
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- 9,99 €
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- 9,99 €
Publisher Description
A magnificent story of community, family, and love from internationally renowned muralist and picture book creator Katie Yamasaki.
A young boy passes a painting of a hand on a wall in his neighborhood and watches others placing their own hands against it. The act means something different for each of them: Ms. Iris tells him it is a link to her home country; for Devin, it connects him to his older sister, who just left for college; for Savannah, it reminds her of her grandmother who passed away. The boy thinks of those who are on the other side of the mural, of loved ones lost or lonely or far away, and of his own mother, who is currently incarcerated. While he waits for her to come home, the hand is there to connect them to each other and remind them that they are not alone.
Monumental, moving, and hopeful, Place Hand Here is a masterful work that honors the way art and love are bridges between us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A "plain, old" hand painted on a building's "plain, old" wall forms a gateway to loved ones in this connective picture book from muralist Yamasaki (Shapes, Lines, and Light). The title's narrating protagonist, portrayed with brown skin, details the bridging effect of the yellow handprint, which is painted inside a lime green heart on their grandmother's building. Upon placing a hand on the mural, neighbor Ms. Iris experiences a return "to my country,/ To my sister's kitchen." It reminds the narrator's friend Devin of his big sister, who left for college two months ago. A cab driver called Amit recalls family who "lives on the other side of the sea." And another friend remembers her abuela, with whom she used to do puzzles. On their grandmother's lap, the protagonist reads a letter from their mother: "When you feel lonely, place your hand here," it says, on the image of a handprint. Inspired, the child paints its likeness on the wall, a compassionate act of creation that eases a wait of their own and provides a public space for longing and love. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author's note discusses families separated by incarceration. Ages 4–8.
