If You Were Here

Kathy Stinson has loved reading all her life but was almost thirty before she discovered she loved writing too. Since the publication of Red Is Best in 1982, she has become the author of over fifty titles that include picture books, novels, short stories, biographies, and other works of non-fiction. Mother, stepmother, and grandmother, Kathy is still an avid reader. When not reading or writing, she enjoys photography, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and walking in the woods and fields near her home in Rockwood, Ontario. If You Were Here began with something she wrote for someone unable to join her for a walk on a beach in Scotland more than twenty-five years ago.Maya McKibbin is a Two-Spirited Ojibwe, Irish filmmaker, illustrator and indie game artist. They grew up in shíshálh and later in the Southwest of England. Maya’s work explores the magic of the natural world both human and not, their illustrations take on subjects of the supernatural, grief, nostalgia and curiosity.

“Radiant images and a spacious narrative provide adults with an uplifting space to discuss heavy emotions with young ones ... A glowing window into grieving that makes room for sorrow and joy to coexist.”—Kirkus Reviews"Lovely descriptive language….will lead to discussions about loss and how spending time in nature can be healing. A gentle book dealing with grief, told through the lens of the natural world.”—School Library Journal