Every day, in a little house in a little town in the middle of a big place, a girl stands at her window and waves to the engineer of the train that passes on the nearby tracks. The engineer waves back and his wave and her wave together make a home in her heart. The little girl is curious about the engineer, about where he came from and where he goes. Which makes her wonder if she might go away, too, some day. This beautiful free verse picture book explores the magic of a connection made between strangers, while also pondering the idea of growing up, and what might lie beyond a child's own small piece of the world.

Alison Acheson has created a deceptively simple, warm story that will stay with readers of all ages long after they've closed the book. Children everywhere will relate to the girl at her window --- what child hasn't waved to the driver of a train, truck, or bus and hadn't been thrilled to have the wave returned? Valériane Leblond's illustrations echo the girl's feelings for the prairie, the “big place” where she lives, with wide, open vistas and long views of the train coming and going. The flowing free verse offers a terrific opportunity for discussions of poetry styles and subjects.

Alison Acheson has published two teen novels, Molly's Cue and Mud Girl, which was a finalist for CLA’s Book of the Year. She's also released a YA novel, The Half-Pipe Kidd and the juvie chapter book Thunder Ice, a finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award, and the Manitoba and Red Cedar (BC) young readers choice awards. She has also published a picture book, Grandpa’s Music—A Story About Alzheimer’s. Alison Acheson has taught in the creative writing program at the University of British Columbia, and continues to teach and write in the town of Ladner, BC, where she lives with her spouse and three sons.

Alison Acheson's profile page

Valériane Leblond is a French and Québécoise artist who was brought up in Angers, France. She lives in an old farmhouse near Aberystwyth, Wales.

Valériane Leblond's profile page

... entirely pleasurable.

Kirkus Reviews

... lyrical ...—Publishers Weekly

Acheson's free verse text is spare and rich in meaning ...—Canadian Children's Book News

A quiet, dreamy coming-of-age story that gently highlights the influence that strangers can have on one's imagination.

School Library Journal