AEGiS-BKREV: Too Far Away to Touch

Too Far Away to Touch

Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Co., 215 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 10003. 32p., illus. ISBN 0-395-68968-6. $14.95.
Leslea Newman, illustrated by Catherine Stock. 1995.

This beautifully illustrated book for young people is a heart-warming story of a little girl, her Uncle Leonard and his significant other, Nathan. Uncle Leonard takes his niece, Zoe, to the planetarium where they see the stars where Uncle Leonard says they are "Too far away to touch, but close enough to see." On the way home Zoe discovers that her Uncle's once curly head is now almost bald as a result of his being sick with AIDS. Zoe is worried and asks if he will get well, to which he replies, "I don't know, Zoe." Several weeks later Uncle Leonard and Nathan take Zoe to the beach to see the stars at night. Zoe asks her Uncle where he will go when he dies and he replies, "I don't know where I'll go, but I know where I'll be. Too far away to touch, but close enough to see."

This a must book for any school or public library providing a tender look at a little girl's encounter with someone she loves who is about to die. The gay aspect of the story will probably, unfortunately, prevent some schools from purchasing the book. Highly recommended. Leslea Newman is the author of the very controversial book, Heather Has Two Mommies.

Keywords: Fiction, Death, Juvenile

960101
BK960468

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