July 2020 Picture Book Selection | First Editions Club

New York, NY: Dial Books | Penguin Random House (pub: July 7, 2020)

HARDBACK.
Signed on bookplate by Gus Gordon.
New in dust jacket.

"Finding Francois is such a heartfelt, lovely story about friendship and loss. Gus Gordon uses the changes in color throughout his illustrations to show emotion, and I found that really beautiful. This is a story to show that the people around you, who love you, are always going to be there to pick you back up and help you move forward in life. I absolutely loved this book."-Hillary Taylor, Lemuria Bookseller

For fans of 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.

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.