In this picture book debut, Lu observes two adults living very different lives. Dan, a pale-skinned, mustache-sporting man shown sitting at a long wooden table, owns a café in a small seaside town. His life is “like a big oak tree, rooted in his town and never moving.” Aki, who wears a neatly trimmed black beard, is a sailor. He stands at the prow of a boat, gazing out, and lives “like a nomadic gull, always on the wing and never settling down.” Drawing Dan’s world in earth tones and Aki’s in oceanic blues, close-textured illustrations delineate the parts of human experience that each one is missing out on. Customers from the “far east” and the “far north” tell Dan about distant places he’s never been, while Aki occasionally glimpses, as a guest, feelings of camaraderie and family: “Children gathered to hear his stories about the sea.” Quiet colors and loose, expressive figures produce artwork that’s rich in feeling, with many tiny details—a woodstove drying wet socks, the keepsakes each man treasures—captured at close range. At the story’s end, Dan and Aki meet at a warm gathering, and their worlds become one, for a spread at least, in this deeply felt story about reality and longing. Ages 5–9. (Apr.)

Gr 1–3 —Parallel narratives convey the thoughts of a caf&3; owner and a sailor, showing the similarities and differences in their lives. The caf&3; owner, Dan, has always lived in the same home and town. He enjoys the continuity but sometimes wonders about the world, intrigued by customers' exotic stories. Aki is a sailor whose home is his boat on the sea. He is well-traveled yet sometimes longs for a friend, family, or a traditional home. Contrasting lives yield similar emotional arcs with both experiencing contentment, loneliness, curiosity, and wonder. Their lives seem separate, but is that true? Lu's picture book debut calls attention to moments of loneliness and joy. At the allegorical heart is the lesson that no matter how perfect a life appears, negative emotions will occur. The conclusion suggests we are not as alone as we think. Readers will certainly receive the message that it's okay to feel vulnerable. Lu's expressive illustrations use discrete color palettes to further define Dan and Aki's lives and worlds. The book invites conversations about loneliness and solitude. VERDICT A topical story on loneliness is thoughtfully depicted through the lens of two different lives yielding similar feelings; a suggested purchase.—Jessica A. Bushore