Half a World Away by Libby Gleeso

Illustrated by Freya Blackwood.40 p., Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, 2007. When your best friend moves far away, an important part of your life is gone. Amy and Louie are best friends. Among all the fun things they do together, they like to see shapes in the clouds. They call each other, "Coo-ee, Lou-ee" and "Coo-ee, Am-ee," and their friend always comes. But Amy moves so far away that when it's daytime where one child lives, it's night for the other child. They think about each other every day. When Louie hopes that Amy will still answer his special call, his parents explain that it isn't possible. But he's resourceful, and he keeps asking. His grandma tells him that it isn't impossible - so he calls as loudly as he can. He notices seahorses and dragons in the clouds, and the gentle watercolor illustrations show those clouds drifting all the way to Amy's new home, where she wakes up from a dream that he was calling her. This sweet story shows children that even when they're far, far away from someone they love, their connection remains. Ages 4-7

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