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PLACE HAND HERE

Katie Yamasaki

A magnificent story of community, family, and love from internationally renowned muralist and picture book creator Katie Yamasaki.
A young boy passes a painting of a hand on a wall in his neighborhood and watches others placing their own hands against it. The act means something different for each of them: Ms. Iris tells him it is a link to her home country; for Devin, it connects him to his older sister, who just left for college; for Savannah, it reminds her of her grandmother who passed away. The boy thinks of those who are on the other side of the mural, of loved ones lost or lonely or far away, and of his own mother, who is currently incarcerated. While he waits for her to come home, the hand is there to connect them to each other and remind them that they are not alone. Monumental, moving, and hopeful, Place Hand Here is a masterful work that honors the way art and love are bridges between us. Katie Yamasaki works primarily as a muralist and picture book creator. She has painted more than eighty murals around the world, and her most recent book is Shapes, Lines, and Light. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and their daughter.
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Book

Published 2023-10-10 by Norton Young Readers

Comments

In accomplished muralist Yamasaki's detailed mixed-media illustrations, transformations and interconnections abound... This touching picture book offers a heartening message about the everlasting connections with loved ones.

Clear, matter of fact, and reads well aloud. Yamasaki's signature style shines in these illustrations... A sweet and relatable story of feeling lonely, missing loved ones, and community. Read more...

Yamasaki's spare, expressive text pairs beautifully with lush, vivid scenes full of tiny, discoverable details... Tender, affirming, and relevant for all families and communities. Read more...

A "plain, old" hand painted on a building's "plain, old" wall forms a gateway to loved ones in this connective picture book from muralist Yamasaki... a compassionate act of creation that eases a wait of their own and provides a public space for longing and love. Read more...

A stunning, compassionate, and hopeful picture book about a topic that gets little coverage in picture books.