MILKO

A young boy expresses his feelings about his mother’s extended trip to another country.

This tender picture book by a husband-and-wife team begins as a Bolivian boy named Milko confides that he “misses Mama like leaves long for the rain this dry season.” Without her, he observes over the next few pages, home is unsettled: Milko’s younger sister cries inconsolably; Papa’s porridge boils over on the stove; and unlike Mama, Papa “is terrible at haggling with the fishmongers” in the market. Mama, it turns out, left Bolivia for Ethiopia at the beginning of the rainy season for a yearlong trip. (The reasons for her journey and its duration are not explained.) Milko has marked off 365 days since she left. Why hasn’t she returned? Not to worry. Mama and her “laughter as deep as the forest” bring the Narhs’ story to a sweet, soulful conclusion—although one that may require parents to explain the meaning of a leap year. (Two books among many that offer children more prosaic ways to cope with absent parents are The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, 2000; and Lily Hates Goodbyes by Jerilyn Marler, 2012.) Artist Knatko’s beautiful watercolor illustrations complement the text with evocative imagery and lush swaths of colors and patterns. Milko is portrayed with light brown skin and a riot of blondish curls.

A poignant, visually rich depiction of a child awaiting the return of a parent.