If You Were Here

A quiet story of observation and remembrance, If You Were Here by Kathy Stinson and Maya McKibbon reflects on the natural world while comforting the reader.

A child heads out into nature exploring the forests, meadows, and beaches near their home describing their surroundings and lamenting about the things that they would do with a loved one, if they were there with them.

Kathy Stinson allows description and remembrance to guide this story from page to page. It’s a solemn and gentle story about exploration in nature but there is a sadness to the story that seems to dominate. As readers near the end of the story, we discover that there is someone missing from the child’s story however, the reason for their absence is never revealed, keeping this story very open ended and providing comfort to readers who may be experiencing the absence of their own someone.

I really appreciate how this story was kept very open ended so that it can be used to help so many more readers. Each reader will have their own loved one that will come to mind throughout the story and may have multiple people that they will think about as they explore the pages. Missing a loved one can mean many different things. Perhaps a loved one has died, maybe a loved one has to go away for a long time. The universality of the story makes it so that many readers will find comfort within the pages.

Maya McKibbon’s illustrations are simply magical! Bold and brilliant two page spreads invite readers into the magic of nature, holding our hands as we skip through the meadows, dive into the water and stretch up as high as the trees. She creates little moments throughout the pages that will give readers pause to stop and explore the pictures a little longer, discovering all of the small moments that are there waiting for us.