January 29, 2024
A friendship that transcends barriers of embodiment and time anchors this starry creation by Min (The Little Toymaker). Shinbi is a night-roaming ghost who eschews haunting to watch constellations from her favorite rock. Greem, the rock’s velvety shadow, makes himself known to Shinbi after the ghost uses a shooting star to wish for a friend. He is only visible during the day, so the two can’t meet, but their exchanged notes of greeting lead to intense mutual curiosity about each other. They craft and share images of their similarly shaped selves, Shinbi tells Greem about the night sky, and the two invent constellations from pebbles they toss into grass. Brilliantly graduated panels of day to night capture moments of transformation and seasonal variation, conveying the beautiful but frustrating reality that keeps Shinbi and Greem apart—until Greem makes a wish of his own. It’s a work of breathless connection that interweaves yearning for companionship with yearning to know the natural world. Ages 4–8. Agent: Maria Vicente, P.S. Literary Agency.