New from UA Press: Kayak Girl
August 23, 2012
In the book a young child learns to cope with serious loss by focusing on something larger than herself. After Jana's mother dies, she becomes withdrawn. Her grandfather, a carver, pays the girl a visit and finds her unresponsive to his care. He carves a figure of a girl in a kayak and asks Jana to promise that she will watch for the figure after he releases it upriver. Through the following seasons, Jana goes to the river daily and finds strength in the positive memories from her short time with her mother, even as she imagines the distant kayak girl's struggles. Eventually, they are reunited, and Jana's spirit is revived. Throughout the book, watercolor illustrations take readers to a magical place along an Alaska river and demonstrate the power of memory and a sense of place in the natural world.
To order visit www.uapress.alaska.edu or call 888.252.6657.
Monica Devine is the author of several books for children, including Hanna Bear's Christmas and Carry Me, Mama.
Mindy Dwyer is a children's book author and illustrator.