To the End of the World, Far, Far Away

When Louis threatens to run away, Mom goes to playful lengths to express how much she’d miss him in this lyrical, beautiful, and reassuring story of parental love.

The splashing waves will call to me,
Louis’s mother, why do you cry?

Louis has just spilled his milk, and Mom is a little frustrated, so her little bear decides it’s time to head to the end of the world, far, far away. But just as Louis is prepared to depart, he can’t help but ask Mom, “Will you be sad when I’m gone?” So Mom relays her tale—of a mama bear whose tears create a great sea, who searches for her boy under waves and on mountaintops and beseeches the wind and the swaying trees to help her find him. Will the sadness end there, or will even the child’s toys begin to cry, with no one to tuck them in or hold them tight? Illustrating the depth and breadth of a mother’s love, Ronda Armitage’s heart-tugging tale is filled with Victoria Turnbull’s rich, whimsical scenes full of wonder that will take children to the very ends of their imaginations.A charming tale of parental love that’s especially ideal for bedtime.
—Kirkus Reviews

Color-pencil illustrations have a homey, comforting appeal, exuding gentleness and warmth from delicate, thin linework, muted tones, and the bears’ softly rounded figures.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

The sentimental story and soft colored–pencil illustrations have a nostalgic feel that places the book in a progression leading back to Russell Hoban’s Frances the Badger series, Else Minarik’s Little Bear books, and Margaret Wise Brown’s Runaway Bunny.
—Booklist

Children sometimes wonder, at low moments, if caretakers and parents really love them; in extended scenes of playacted peril, Louis’s mother offers all the reassurance he needs.
—Publishers WeeklyRonda Armitage is the author of many children’s books, including A Mighty Bitey Creature, illustrated by Nikki Dyson, and the much-loved Lighthouse Keeper series, illustrated by her husband, David Armitage. Born in New Zealand, Ronda Armitage now lives in England.

Victoria Turnbull spent her childhood absorbed by books and drawing. Her author-illustrator debut, The Sea Tiger, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and short-listed for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She is also the creator of Kings of the Castle. Victoria Turnbull lives in London.