Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

Starred Review With vibrant, expressive illustrations and concise, contemplative prose, this picture book highlights aspects of what kids may be feeling or experiencing during pandemic lockdowns, all with a supportive, engaging approach. Focusing on a young girl and boy dividually, with their families, and with each other variety of scenarios begin with the refrain "On the other side of . . ." to suggest more positive things to come. "On the other side of the screen," for instance, shows the girl looking at a laptop in her room, followed by "there is a school," depicting a Zoom-like mosaic of classmates' welcoming faces. The story concludes on an upbeat note as children walk together toward school ("On the other side of today . . . there is tomorrow"). Brightly hued colored-pencil art incorporates sweet touches, particularly the rainbow motif, which appears in the palette, in sidewalk-chalk drawings, and in the sky after rain nice reinforcement of being connected, whether near or far. Though COVID-19 isn't specifically named, and some background details, such as masking and Black Lives Matter and Stay Safe signs, may need explaining for younger ones, these are good opportunities for discussion. On the whole, the blend of reassurances and optimism, in text and art, will likely resonate and be appreciated on multiple levels by children and adults.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

K-Gr 4 The perfect pandemic book is here. In illustrations that dynamically emulate a (aesthetically attuned, highly skilled) child's drawing, a text with the lilt of a hop, skip, and a jump sets up expectations and neatly subverts them. On the other side of a screen, shown as a laptop on a child's legs and setting up an expectation of a game or perhaps streaming, is a classic grid that now has come to mean Zoom! Outside a window where one child stands, looking, is a parade of people, safely distanced and in masks, coping with a new version of real life. Chalk drawings declare that "Black Lives Matter" and "Stay Safe," as well as "Thank You Heroes." To children, it will be a relief to see their current lives in these pages; for adults, it's hope for a new normal. On the other side of sorrow, there are hugs, and on the other side of today, there is tomorrow. VERDICT The book we need, the message we deserve. Kimberly Olson Fakih , School Library Journal

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

A reassuring text and upbeat illustrations get to the heart of our shared COVID-19 experience -- gently acknowledging loss and uncertainty while offering a message of hope and resilience. Trinder's spare text leaves plenty of room for Snider's textured colored-pencil pictures to tell a story that's grounded in specifics -- school on screens, masked neighbors -- yet universal in feeling. On the title-page spread, a boy with brown skin and a yellow jacket approaches a girl with light skin and puffy orange pigtails. She waves as she draws with sidewalk chalk; he waves, too, and carries his own chalk. The text opens with a simple truth: "A story has a beginning and an end"; the illustration shows the two kids collaborating on a rainbow drawing. With a page-turn, the rain starts to fall, and the friends part ways. We next see the girl sitting alone on her front stoop, watching their rainbow wash away: "And there is something in between." The book's focus is on that "something": remote classrooms ("On the other side of a screen // there is a school"), signs of encouragement and support on sidewalks and in windows (including a BLM sign), neighbors helping neighbors, and essential workers on the job. There's also weariness and sadness: "One the other side of sadness // There are hugs." The boy and girl appear throughout in separate scenes until the final one, which shows them walking -- unmasked! less than six feet apart! -- into school. "On the other side of today // there is tomorrow." Trinder's compassionate words and Snider's vibrant art are just right for this moment. Kitty Flynn

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Employing parallel phrasing (-There is a here. There is a there-), this picture book follows a dark-haired child of color and a white child who has red pigtails. The duo draws a sidewalk chalk rainbow together, safely distanced, before parting. -On the other side of the screen,- one spread begins, showing the pale child alone in her room on a laptop, -there is a school,- portrayed in a Zoom-like grid. -On the other side of the window,- reads another page, as the brown-skinned child paints apartment windows with a rainbow, -there is a neighbor-; the child leans out and waves. Dense, emphatic strokes of colored pencil by Snider emphasize connection despite separation. -On the other side of today,- Trinder concludes, imagining the reunion of the children, -there is tomorrow.- Quietly, but with upbeat faith, this rhythmic narrative holds out hope for better times. Back matter includes an author-s note explaining the book-s inspiration: the rainbows Trinder saw in windows during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ages 4-6. (Jan.)