Finding François : a story about the healing power of friendship

Title:

Author:

Gordon, Gus, 1971- author, illustrator.

Summary:

Alice sends a message in a bottle that travels the River Seine and lands with François, who helps her heal from the loss of her beloved grandmother.-- Provided by Publisher.

Audience:

Ages 4-8. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Grades K-1. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Physical Description:

40 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 26 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Swine -- Juvenile fiction.

Animals -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

France -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Dial Books for Young Readers,

Publication Date:

2020

ISBN:

9780525554004

Publication Information:

New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, [2020]

Call Number:

P GORDON

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003476796	Picture Books	GORDON	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

For fans of The Rough Patch , A Sick Day for Amos McGee , and In a Jar comes a tender and gently adventurous gem about the power of friends to soothe aches big and small.

Alice, a little piglet, loves life with her grandmother, making lists and crème brûlée, organizing buttons, and taking walks. Still, Alice wishes she had a sister--or even a brother. So, she does the sensible thing: She writes a note ("Hello! I am Alice"), tucks it into a bottle, and tosses it into the river, where it drifts out to sea, is captured by an octopus, picked up by a seagull, and arrives at a faraway lighthouse. There, François, a little dog, lives with his dad. François is everything Alice could wish for in a friend, and soon the seas are busy with their bottled correspondence. But when a big change comes, and Alice can't bring herself to write François more letters, will the simple comforts of time, love, and friendship restore the light to Alice's life?

In this marvelous, gently funny and reassuring tale, the lucky and lovely friendship between Alice and François spans the length of the River Seine and the loss of a loved one. Award-winning author and artist Gus Gordon captures the highs and lows of being little, and tenderly shepherds kids on a journey full of fantastic possibilities, friendship, and healing.

* "Reminiscent of William Steig . . . Will warm hearts and minds with each reading." --Kirkus (starred review)
"[A book] to help kids navigate life." -- HuffPost
* "Endearing . . . Expressive . . . Heartening . . . Memorable" --Booklist (starred review)
"Joyful [and] contemplative. [A] timely message that friendships can be maintained over distance and time." -- BCCB
"Triumphant, [with] gentle tongue-in-cheek humor [amid a] central theme of enduring love." -- PW
"Charming. [A] soothing, kid-friendly approach to life after loss." --SLJ
"Earnest and playful . . . tender and inviting." -- The Horn Book

Author Notes

Gus Gordon is a writer and illustrator of books for small people, and older people who like small people's books. His works include I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo! , Herman and Rosie , Somewhere Else , and The Last Peach . Gus lives with his wife and three kids in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2--Although she is showered with affection from her grandmother, Alice is a lonely piglet. She concocts a plan that involves magical thinking, a message in a bottle, and sweeping ocean tides. After a fateful journey, her message finds lighthouse-dwelling François. The two strike up an emerging friendship and begin trading messages until Alice's grandmother passes away. The loss causes Alice to retreat in sadness and grief. Upon the urging of her new guardian, Alice visits François and begins to feel a renewed sense of hope and opportunity. This charming features cute animals that make up Alice's found family. Gordon's use of watercolors and soft pencil lines bring texture and depth to the art and reinforces the story's soothing, kid-friendly approach to life after loss. The placement of old found papers seamlessly blends into the illustrations. VERDICT This is a warm, gentle story about resilience and how the bonds of friendship can mend the heart.--Sophie Kenney, Aurora P.L., IL

Publisher's Weekly Review

This fantasy by Gordon (The Perfect Seat) offers a heady mix of Parisian bonhomie and mysteriously conveyed messages. Alice, a small pink pig, quite enjoys living with her grandmother, especially when they cook together: "You are a marvel!" her grandmother tells her. Though Alice loves life's small pleasures--watercolor-and-pencil drawings in milky hues show Alice getting a special gift from Miss Clément's dress shop--she longs for a friend her own age. She stuffs a note into a bottle and tosses it into the river, where it's carried to François, a young dog who lives in a lighthouse. Letters shuttle back and forth as a friendship blooms. Then "Alice's grandmother was gone," her chair empty, and grief overcomes the young pig. "Maybe Alice has forgotten me," François muses. She hasn't; her new guardian, Miss Clément, arranges a triumphant meeting. Gordon's story is leavened throughout with gentle, tongue-in-cheek humor ("Where are you?" François writes; "What a good question," Alice thinks, "I am.../ ...over here"). A jumble of whimsical details (the saga of the bottle's ocean journey, François's hobbies) at times distract from the central theme of enduring love, but it's there amid the diversions. Ages 4--8. (July)

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Author Notes

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review