Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Nov 02 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A bench and a closed door mark the milestones in an excited child's life.The child grows older as they faithfully await a beloved uncle who never shows. As the protagonist sits watching the door, they excitedly note the things they'll tell their uncle about: their progress in school, an upcoming move, their new son. In scene after scene, time trundles on as the child evolves into a teen and then an adult and finally to nothing but a memory in the fruitless anticipation of a dream never realized. The uncle, it is later explained, has become one of the "disappeared." Santana Camargo's deceptively simple black line drawings against stark white paper allow for no meandering of attention. The protagonist's-and readers'-focus is on the door that remains shut. Each unwaveringly hopeful line begins with "Great!" in anticipation of the visit ("Great! Then I can tell him about this girl that I like")-and in contrast to the unseen bleak reality. The author's unsentimental bilingual text, in English and Spanish, gives no hint as to the reason behind the protagonist's continued pining-until the afterword, which states that though people have disappeared throughout history, during the Cold War, many governments began using the practice as a "systematic instrument of terror." Though, according to the backmatter, this story takes place in South America, Santana Camargo notes that people have been disappeared in other places, such as Indonesia. The protagonist has few facial figures and skin the color of the page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A hard truth for hard times. (Picture book. 9-11)

ALA Booklist

With bilingual Spanish and English text, plus extremely simple black-and-white cartoon art emphasized by extensive white space, this picture book tackles subject matter best suited for middle-grade and older children, teens, and even adults. The difficult scenario portrays the heartbreak of facing a continual unknown this case, what happens to people who are "disappeared" by authoritarian governments or warfare. The story follows a child waiting for an uncle who his parents have told him will be there in a few days. He looks forward to the visit, soccer ball on his lap as he faces a closed door. The next frame shows the child older but now waiting with his schoolwork in hand. Several spreads later, the boy is now a man but still faces the closed door, hopeful he can show his uncle a picture of his son. Eventually, he faces the door as an old man. The next frame shows his empty stool. Pertinent to past events as well as what is happening today in Ukraine, this gives readers a jumping-off point for discussion.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A bench and a closed door mark the milestones in an excited child's life.The child grows older as they faithfully await a beloved uncle who never shows. As the protagonist sits watching the door, they excitedly note the things they'll tell their uncle about: their progress in school, an upcoming move, their new son. In scene after scene, time trundles on as the child evolves into a teen and then an adult and finally to nothing but a memory in the fruitless anticipation of a dream never realized. The uncle, it is later explained, has become one of the "disappeared." Santana Camargo's deceptively simple black line drawings against stark white paper allow for no meandering of attention. The protagonist's-and readers'-focus is on the door that remains shut. Each unwaveringly hopeful line begins with "Great!" in anticipation of the visit ("Great! Then I can tell him about this girl that I like")-and in contrast to the unseen bleak reality. The author's unsentimental bilingual text, in English and Spanish, gives no hint as to the reason behind the protagonist's continued pining-until the afterword, which states that though people have disappeared throughout history, during the Cold War, many governments began using the practice as a "systematic instrument of terror." Though, according to the backmatter, this story takes place in South America, Santana Camargo notes that people have been disappeared in other places, such as Indonesia. The protagonist has few facial figures and skin the color of the page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A hard truth for hard times. (Picture book. 9-11)