2019, Juvenile Fiction
WISE Score
Elba drags a heavy block of sadness everywhere she goes until Norris and his cloud of butterflies show her how to carry it toward the ocean.
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Maybe Tomorrow? is a quiet powerhouse of a book. It skips the platitudes and gets straight to the heart of what it feels like to be sad and what it feels like to be a good friend to someone who is hurting. It is the kind of book you keep on the shelf for the days when things feel a little too heavy.
It is not a 'fun' romp, but it is a deeply necessary one. If you liked The Rabbit Listened, this is in that same elite category of books that build real empathy without being preachy or boring.
Perfect for the 3-8 crowd, but honestly, the metaphor is so strong that it works for any human dealing with a heavy season. It is a top-tier choice for kids who have just experienced a big life change.
It is a masterclass in kindness and emotional regulation. The book models how to be present for a friend who is suffering without trying to 'fix' them or rush their process.
The use of a physical block to represent grief and a cloud of butterflies for joy is a perfect visual metaphor that makes abstract feelings concrete for young kids.
Completely safe. It handles heavy themes like loss and sadness with extreme gentleness and zero scary or inappropriate content.
Provides a high level of emotional intelligence. It gives parents and kids a shared vocabulary for discussing sadness, transition, and empathy.
Most kids' books about sadness try to cheer the character up by the third page. They want to fix the problem. Maybe Tomorrow? is smarter than that. It introduces Elba, who is dragging a massive, dark block. We don't know what happened to her, and the book doesn't feel the need to explain it. Whether it's a death, a divorce, or just a really bad transition, the feeling is the same: it's heavy, and it's in the way.
Then there's Norris. He's the foil—covered in butterflies, dancing uphill, full of light. In a lesser book, Norris would tell Elba to just look on the bright side. Instead, Norris just... stays. He offers tea. He offers to wait. He acknowledges the block is there.
This is a great tool for parents because it teaches the 'language comprehension' side of literacy through deep emotional subtext. You aren't just reading words; you're deciphering a metaphor. When Norris helps Elba carry the block toward the ocean, it's a beautiful way to show that grief doesn't disappear, it just changes shape when you share the load.
If your family is going through a transition, this is an essential read-aloud. It validates the kid's feelings without making them feel like they are 'wrong' for being sad. It’s a gentle reminder that some days are for blocks, some are for butterflies, and most are for a little bit of both.
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