On the Edge of the World (Stories from Latin America)

Two children existing by the sea connect across an expanse in this beautifully drawn tête-bêche-style volume that offers two stories. On one side of the book, conversational lines introduce tan-skinned Vera, who lives on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula; only the vast Pacific Ocean stretches beyond this easternmost point. Vera loves syrniki, knows Morse code, and longs for a friend, imagined by Desnitskaya as a scribbly yellow line figure. At night, Vera shines a flashlight across the ocean, blinking in Morse code, “Hi, I’m Vera.” Turning the book over and opening the cover reveals brown-skinned Lucas, who lives across the Pacific from Vera, on the coast of Chile. Lucas wants to be a paleontologist, loves hamburgers, also knows Morse code, and, too, wants a friend, imagined in yellow line drawings. At the edge of the sea, Lucas signs in Morse code: “Hi, I’m Lucas.” When the signals head out, something unexpected happens, and readers’ knowledge of the characters reaching out offers a satisfying connection in this evocative double portrait. Ages 7–11. (Sept.)