Sourgrass

by Hope Lim, Shahrzad Maydani (Illustrator)

What do you do when your best friend moves away? This hopeful and resonant book filled with soft, vibrant illustrations tells the story of two friends who find a way to keep their special friendship alive, no matter the distance.

Every day, Sofia and May meet at the door of their shared fence. Sofia can always count on May to show up and May can always count on Sofia to wait for her. One spring day, Sofia and May discover a field of wild sourgrass flowers beyond their yards. The field becomes their favorite place, and the two friends grow closer than ever. But when May moves away, Sofia starts to Will their friendship last?

As the girls navigate a long-distance friendship, Sofia realizes that some friends are forever, even when they’re apart.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Contemporary, Juvenile, Plants

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Hope Lim is the author of I AM A BIRD (Candlewick), MY TREE (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House) and MOMMY’S HOMETOWN (Candlewick), SOURGRASS (Beach Lane Books/S&S) and AT THE WINDOW (Candlewick). Born and raised in South Korea, Hope currently lives in San Francisco with her family and puppy, Bear.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and endearing story about the transitioning of friendships, especially those that we love. There are a few picture books out of there that cover the feelings that we have when friends move away and communication changes. This is another to add to that list. For describing a difficult life experience, the illustrations were warm and soft and I enjoyed them.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sourgrass is a sweet children’s book about friends who move away. With pink, oranges and yellows the illustrator brings to live a yard filled with Sourgrass flowers. Overall a great book, especially if your kiddos is dealing with the loss of a friend.
Thank you Simon Kids for gifting me a copy to review.

[Candy Wellins · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to love about SOURGRASS, a new picture book by @hopelim_sf and @shahrzadmaydani The soft pastel palette. ❤️ The sweet friendship story ❤️ The real-world young people problems of moving away and struggling to maintain friendships ❤️ The character-driven solution ❤️ It’s a quiet story, but full of heart and a necessary read for any kid experiencing a move (whether it’s their own or a friend’s)

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Hope Lim's poetic text and Shahrzad Maydani's soft illustrations, Sourgrass captures the feeling of what it's like to have a childhood best friend--- and how devastating it can be when that friend moves away. Even while exploring this type of hardship, the book ends on a lovely, hopeful, comforting note. Recommended for kids who have a friend who maybe be moving--- or for adults who remember that feeling.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story about two neighbors who become best friends until one moves away. Hope Lim beautifully captures the development of the best friendship and the sadness when distance comes between them. Fuzzy, rose-hued illustrations by Shahrzad Maydani have a sweetly nostalgic quality. The story ends with hope at the strength of the bond and the potential for something new. Lovely!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of friendship and hope to see a good friend who has moved away. They have a sourgrass field between then that they experience together and it comes back every year but the wait for a friend who has moved to come back is missing until . . . a letter comes.

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with gorgeous illustrations. A great picture book read aloud to discuss friendship, moving, keeping in touch from far away.

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/sourgr...

SOURGRASS is a lovely picture book about friendship and promises. Sofia and May are next-door neighbors and best friends. They play together in their yards and the fields beyond, especially enjoying the sourgrass plants that grow there. May tells Sofia that her mother says that sourgrass always keeps its promise by returning every year.

When May moves away, Sofia is sad, but they keep in touch through mail. However, there passes some time where May does not move back. As Sofia feels sad, she notices a sourgrass flower, which makes her think of promises kept. She knows that May will keep her promise, and at the end of the story, we see her with a letter from May.

What I loved: This was such a lovely story of friendship, moving away, and keeping promises. With soft and lush illustrations, the story has a dreamlike quality that brings the reader into the characters' world of play. Friendship can be challenging, especially when separated by distance, but Sofia and May maintain their friendship with letters and the promise to keep writing. This is highly encouraging and sweet for young ones who may be facing losing their own friends or being separated by a move. Great for elementary school aged readers, the story unfolds smoothly and matches the soft feeling of the imagery.

The illustrations also have other fun details to explore, such as the mouse and duck who appear on each page for readers to watch and consider, as well as the potential new friend who appears in the gate between yards at the end. Little ones will enjoy exploring these further as they read the book again and again.

Final verdict: SOURGRASS is a lovely picture book about friendship, promises, and moving that will resonate with young readers. Lush illustrations and gently flowing text make this a heartfelt read that elementary schoolers can really get into.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Isabella Kung · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOURGRASS is a beautiful tale of friendship between Sofia and May. It ends with Sofia grieving a connection that once was and her acceptance that their friendship will live on, like a promise, even though they are physically apart. The text describes a deep love between two friends across the fence between their yards, their connection so important that even the sour taste of sourgrass became the "sweetest plant ever". The illustrations of soft warm colorful pastels fill the page like a dream.
When May moves away and winter approaches, the colors fade from Sofia's yard and her life. We can sense her longing and loneliness, and what a thing to grieve for any age. The story ends with Sofia's acceptance that Spring returns, along with color, light, and life – like the promises of sourgrass, reminding her of her beautiful friendship and she tries again to send May a letter. In the illustrations, we see a hint of a new friendship about to form too! This is a wonderful book about friendships close and far, a gorgeous book for any child!

[Qing Zhuang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sourgrass is a meditation on those magic, floating days of summer with your childhood best friend. Relationships, while transient, can have lasting impact especially in those formative years. The story accepts that in life, sometimes there is no closure. Perhaps Sofia will never know if May will write back, or why the letters stop coming and she will not know how May is doing. What does return and reveal itself again like sourgrass, is new life experiences, and new wonderful friendships which the book hints at at the end. However, the memories of sourgrass and her first best friend linger, and they will undoubtedly be with Sofia forever. It is relatable for children whose best friends have moved on for one reason or another. The drawings are soft and bright, beautifully capturing the sweetness of Sofia and May’s friendship.

[Aileen Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I love about 12x12pb is the monthly book chats where authors read their latest books. This month I heard Hope Lin read Sour Grass which is one of the most beautiful books about how friendships change and how to deal with that. The colorful illustrations and end papers by Shahrzad Maydani added layers to the story filling in the gaps that words alone can't express and making this book a perfect marriage between text and art. We've all had that friend that has moved away or simply ended up going down another life path, but as Lin shows in Sour Grass, we always have the beautiful memories!

[Kathryn LeRoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some friends are forever, even across the miles.

In this touching story of friendship, separation, and keeping a promise, a plant binds together two young friends. May and Sofia meet every day at the door of their shared fence. That’s what best friends do. When they discover sourgrass in the field near their homes, their shared experience creates a memory that holds their friendship despite the distance between Sofia and May’s new home. Through lyrical language and stunning illustrations, we follow Sofia as she connects the dream of seeing May again with the promise of sourgrass to keep returning. With grace and honesty, young readers learn sometimes we must wait with hope.

[Melanie Ellsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gentle, soft palette of colors pairs nicely with the text in this reflective, sweet friendship story. Sofia and May’s deep connection with the outdoors in their play reminded me of the Betsy-Tacy friendship, so rooted in nature, that I loved reading about as a child. The resilient sourgrass plant, with its bright, hopeful shade of yellow and its lemony taste, provided a lovely metaphor for both the beauty and staying power of friendship alongside the sadness of a friend moving away. This is a book about staying connected and holding memories close to our hearts.

[Carrie Finison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This friendship/moving away story is full of sweetness, a little sourness, and completely beautiful. Sofia and May love to play in the fields of wild sourgrass near their adjoining backyards, where they pledge to be best friends forever. When May moves away, Sofia is worried she will be forgotten. But, just like the sourgrass blooms, a friend can always be counted upon. I love the simple and lyrical language in this story, which is perfectly matched but the soft but vibrant illustrations. I loved that there was a little hint of new friendship at the end, too!

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving away and leaving friends behind is heartbreaking. I remember when I was a kid, how excited I was to move from
our apartment to our new house - and at the same time how devastated I was to leave my friends behind. In this gorgeously illustrated story, Sophia and May are the best of friends, spending every day in each other’s company. “Then one colorless day May moved away.” Will their promise of everlasting friendship survive?
This is a beautiful story about friendship, promises, change, and hope.

[Alice Bianchi-Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this heartwarming and zesty picture book, which celebrates the lost art of correspondence and the tingling waiting in between letters. Hope Lim captures the innocence and joy of finding a friend who is so utterly in synch with you. I loved how in Hope Lim's world, sourgrass becomes a bittersweet metaphor for friendships lost and found. Shahrzad Maydani's illustrations are riotously pink until the blues literally creep in. How will Sofia and May's friendship keep their friendship alive in spite of the distance between them?

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tender story of two friends who share everything until one moves away. Readers see the sadness and the hope as the one left behind still plays in the same space and writes to her friend. The one constant every spring is that the sourgrass will bloom in the field. When it does, she remembers their promise to always be best friends and quietly savors her friend's mail arriving.
Lovely illustrations capture the emotions. A terrific story for families who stay where they are when a friend moves away.

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was touched by this sweet story of two friends who love each other and enjoy sourgrass together. When one of the friends moves away, the other is left remembering her, cherishing the memory of their time together, thinking of how to stay connected and opening to new friendship. It made me think of my own childhood friend with whom I reveled in this delight of spring.

Themes: Spring, Friendship, Change
Age range: Toddler-Early Elementary

[Lindsay Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this sweet story of a blossoming friendship, rooted in a shared love of sourgrass flowers. When May moves away, Sofia must learn to appreciate sourgrass on her own and remember what May taught her about sourgrass always coming back in the spring. Soft, pastel-colored illustrations enhance the tone of this warm hug of a book. Recommended for anyone dealing with a friend moving away.

[Kirsten Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sofia and May are next-door neighbors who spend their days playing together in the sourgrass fields beyond their adjoining yards. When May has to move away, they both take comfort in knowing that their friendship will endure, just like the sourgrass that returns year after year. The story is brought to life with beautiful chalk pastel and watercolor illustrations that add a gentle softness to this heartwarming tale of enduring friendship.

[Mia Wenjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophia and May are neighbors with their yards separated by a gate which they keep open when they play together. One day while playing, they discover a field of sourgrass flowers past their yards. This is their favorite place to play. But when May moves away, Sophia learns that their friendship can survive distance through letters, memories, and sourgrass. This lovely picture book celebrates friendship that transcends challenges. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

[Aimee Hiura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! I’m a huge fan of Hope’s picture books, and this just became my favorite! Full of hope and love, Hope’s lyrical, beautiful words and Shahrzad’s stunning illustration shine through every page. This book invites children to the hopeful and comforting world of friendship; it also brings back our own cherished memories from childhood. This is such a gentle, sweet story about friendship that always keeps its promise by tying two longing hearts together even when they are apart. Sourgrass will be a wonderful read for everyone!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

the illustrations are lovely, soft and warm and almost nostalgic. what I really enjoyed was how realistic and compassionate this best-friend-moves-away story. time passes and disappointment is felt, while also leaving room for hope. That scene under the tree at the end is pitch perfect from the timing, the words on the card, to the figure at the gate.

[Angie Quantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two next door neighbor best friends have fabulous adventures. Intertwined between their backyards and a field of sourgrass, the friends love the days. Until one has to move away, always a sad friendship challenge. But the memories of sourgrass help bridge the distance. Lovely, lyrical, gorgeously filled with color.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two best friends share magical days in their neighboring backyards, including tasting the bitter sourgrass that grows every spring. When one friend moves away, the remaining one girl is sad. She sends letters, which aren't always returned. Trying to find comfort reading alone the next spring, she spies a sprig of sourgrass which gives her the reminder and courage to write her friend.

[Abi Cushman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really sweet story about friendship and how it changes when one friend moves away. It handles those complicated feelings with a really light touch, and it shows kids that it's okay to feel unsure and sad, but also hopeful, when life changes happen. The soft, warm illustrations are reassuring and bright. Highly recommend!

[Sylvia Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

With ethereal scenes bursting with soul-lifting colors and swirls of sourgrass, this picture book is a true joy to experience with its playful and energetic phrases, emotion-filled metaphors, and skillful use of sensory elements. The main themes include: friendship that lasts, enjoying every moment together, emotionally tough moves, keeping in touch, and heartwarming memories. Highly recommended!

[Alison McGauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous picture book that’s full of evocative language and warm illustrations is sure to resonate with children and adults alike. Losing a friend is difficult, and reading SOURGRASS is a gentle way to help start a conversation which in turn may allow children to process their thoughts and feelings.

[Patricia Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soft whimsical illustrations are the perfect complement to this wistful story of two best friends who cement their bond over the sourgrass that grows in the field beyond their backyards, When one of the friends moves away, the sourgrass, which "shows up every spring, keeping its promise" becomes a metaphor for their long-distance friendship. Look for the hopeful twist at the end.

[Jackson’s Books & Music · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the sweetest book!!! Everything about it was so lovely. The illustrations are gorgeous, expressive, and have adorable and heartfelt details that add so much to the story. This is a great book to help kids cope with moving or with their friends moving. I highly recommend this beautiful book to all ages!