Alone Like Me - by Rebecca Evans (Hardcover)

About the Book

When Liling moves from her home in the mountains of China to the big city, her parents cannot afford to send her to school, and she spends her days with her mother, wishing she had a friend--until she sees a girl in a yellow coat, who lives in the next building, comes from a different mountain, and is happy to be Liling's friend.

Book Synopsis

In this beautiful, heartfelt picture book, a young girl moves from a small village to a big city in China, where she longs to find a friend...and ultimately meets someone very much like her.

Liling and her family have moved from their rural farm to an overwhelming urban city. Because of Chinese law, Liling can't go to school and spends her days with Mama or Baba at work. At the playground, the other children throw sand at her and tease her old red coat and dirty shoes.

But after she shares a smile with a girl in a bright yellow jacket who lives in an apartment beneath hers, Liling has a big idea! She draws a picture and lowers it down to the girl--Qiqi--who returns it with a drawing of her own. When the new friends meet face to face, Liling takes Qiqi's hand, and they walk bravely into the park--together.

With luscious watercolor illustrations and lovely poetic text, this achingly beautiful story is about our universal desire for connection, and the comfort we feel when we find a true friend.

Review Quotes

★ "A hopeful, universal story about the power of friendship to dramatically improve the quality of everyday life." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About the Author

Rebecca Evans is a first-time children's book author who has illustrated several picture books written by others, including Two Is a Lot, Plants Fight Back, and If Animals Built Your House. She also illustrated Mark Weston's Finding the Speed of Light, which Kirkus called a "highlight" in a starred review. Rebecca is the co-regional advisor for the SCBWI Maryland/Delaware/West Virginia region. She lives in Maryland with her family.