Somewhere in Between, by Laan Cham, (July 2024, Random House), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593651568
Ages 4-7
Once upon a time, a child fell from the sky and make two friends who didn’t get along. Pink, a little girl, arrives in a bright, colorful placed called the Land of Sunshine, where a friendly creature named Fireball welcomes her and shows her around, but cautions Pink never to visit the nearby glacier; he tells her it’s “full of trolls”. Pink’s interest piqued, she finds a way onto the glacier where she meets Snowball, a friendly snow-person, and sets off on a day of play until Fireball sees her and begins arguing with Snowball. Determined to make her new friends get along, Pink creates her own Pink Land and invites the two new friends to visit, where they discover that they enjoy playing together after all. A playful story about friendship, jealousy, and conflict resolution, kids will easily relate to Pink’s dilemma as she tries to negotiate friendship with two bickering parties. Cham incorporates word bubbles and graphic novel-like panels into her narrative storytelling, giving readers multiple points of interest. The chibi-like digital illustrations are colorful and adorable; immediately eye-catching for readers and varying size fonts convey emotion and emphasis. Endpapers include extra details, including Pink’s explosive arrival and later, band-aids crossed over her entry point as she frolics with Snowball, Fireball, and her little rock friends. Kids will clamor for this sweet story.
Laan Cham is a first-generation Singaporean-British-American illustrator from New Jersey who currently lives in Vancouver. Somewhere in Between is her author-illustrator debut, and she is the illustrator of the forthcoming chapter book series Camp Scream.
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