My Friend, Loonie by Nina Lacour

Abstract

Reviewed by: My Friend, Loonie by Nina Lacour Natalie Berglind Lacour, Nina My Friend, Loonie; illus. by Ashling Lindsay. Candlewick, 2023 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536213935 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad 3-6 yrs A little girl gets a present from her moms, “a balloon that floated up and up all the way to the ceiling.” The balloon is enormous and bright yellow with little pink and blue stars hanging off of it, and she promptly dubs it “Loonie.” Loonie quickly becomes a fixture of the family, going with the little girl on walks, having its own seat at the dinner table, and busting a dance move alongside the little girl. A fateful [End Page 226] trip to the outside garden, however, sends Loonie off into the heavens. The girl spends time mourning Loonie, but eventually starts to see yellow in everything and remembers the positive things she learned from their friendship. Dealing with loss and appreciating things while they last are familiar themes explored in picture books, but the stiff writing makes this feel more generic than memorable. More successful are Lindsay’s mixed media illustrations, with marker and color pencil strokes resembling stylized versions of children’s art; that styling gives the little girl ownership of her narrative and the depictions of her feelings—joy at activities with Loonie, sorrow at its absence, and the eventual glimmer of hope—in corresponding vivid or desaturated hues. While the queer couple parenting the little girl will draw some people in, kids who need a lesson on grief can instead turn to James’ Rosemary and Maple (BCCB 3/23) or Mountford’s The Circles in the Sky (BCCB 9/22). Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois