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Too Far Away to Touch
Zoe has an especially close relationship with her uncle, Leonard, who is now sick. Following a visit to the planetarium, he explains to her that when he dies, he will be like the stars: too far away to touch.
- GenresPicture Books
40 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1995
About the author
Lesléa Newman
109 books250 followersLesléa Newman (born 1955, Brooklyn, NY) is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear.
She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.
Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children's books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda's Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday Is Pattyday.
She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two. Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
In addition to being an author, Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism. From 2005-2009, Lesléa was a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. Currently, she is the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA.
She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.
Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children's books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda's Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday Is Pattyday.
She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two. Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
In addition to being an author, Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism. From 2005-2009, Lesléa was a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. Currently, she is the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 7, 2009
This is a quiet, very much understated book about a girl named Zoe's experiences as she begins to see her Uncle Leonard's health deteriorate from the AIDS virus that he has contracted.
The writing is thoughtful and the pacing is sure. Author Leslea Newman offers no miracle finishes, plot twists or full end to the story, but instead carves out for us a piece of reality that will touch the heart and stay firmly in one's mind. This is a nice book.
The writing is thoughtful and the pacing is sure. Author Leslea Newman offers no miracle finishes, plot twists or full end to the story, but instead carves out for us a piece of reality that will touch the heart and stay firmly in one's mind. This is a nice book.
November 2, 2010
This is a realistic and honest story about a girl’s uncle who is battling with AIDS. She tells the story (1st person narrative) which makes the book seem even more personal and the images are full bleed so it becomes even more personal. This book was nicely done to discuss the issue of losing someone to this disease and how to cope with the pain.
March 4, 2019
Too Far Away to Touch is a story about a young girl named Zoe and her bond with her Uncle Leonard. Throughout the story, they go on multiple adventures, trying lots of new things. As time goes on, Zoe notices that her uncle is starting to act differently. He tries to brush it off like nothing is different but eventually tells Zoe that he is sick with AIDS. Zoe then learns how to cope with the fact that our loved ones won’t be with us forever, but they’re never truly gone.
Some major themes of the story include making the most of the time you have with people and learning to cope with pain.
After reading this book, I would give it a five-star rating for a couple reasons. First of all, the book is very appealing from a visual point of view. The illustrations are very colorful and detailed, bringing the story to life. The story more importantly addresses a very difficult topic in a way that many children could understand. It also has the potential to spark a conversation with parents and/or teachers about loss, and healthy ways to go about the topic.
I personally enjoyed reading this book very much. I thought that especially for a children’s book, it depicted a serious situation very realistically. I think that this would be great to keep as a resource to read to my children in the future, to better familiarize them with the tough topic of death, because it is something that everyone encounters at some point in their life.
I would definitely recommend this book because it has a great message and could help children who are dealing with the passing or illness of a loved one. It also has engaging and helpful illustrations that could make it more enjoyable and clear for the children reading.
Some major themes of the story include making the most of the time you have with people and learning to cope with pain.
After reading this book, I would give it a five-star rating for a couple reasons. First of all, the book is very appealing from a visual point of view. The illustrations are very colorful and detailed, bringing the story to life. The story more importantly addresses a very difficult topic in a way that many children could understand. It also has the potential to spark a conversation with parents and/or teachers about loss, and healthy ways to go about the topic.
I personally enjoyed reading this book very much. I thought that especially for a children’s book, it depicted a serious situation very realistically. I think that this would be great to keep as a resource to read to my children in the future, to better familiarize them with the tough topic of death, because it is something that everyone encounters at some point in their life.
I would definitely recommend this book because it has a great message and could help children who are dealing with the passing or illness of a loved one. It also has engaging and helpful illustrations that could make it more enjoyable and clear for the children reading.
July 25, 2019
I think the author did an excellent job of portraying a child's innocent views of dying family members.
July 26, 2019
I thought this was a wonderful book that had a lot of details and a beautiful story.
April 10, 2012
Too Far Away to Touch has beautiful illustrations that depict the mood in the story. The illustrator uses water color and pencil and uses different techniques, such as using shading and different lights. The text is sometimes imbedded within the illustrations, while other times its on a white page with borders. On the end pages we see an audience gazing at the stars, which gives the reader a heads up on what could happen in the book. It is a nice introduction without having to put it in words. The story is told through illustrations that enhance the story. However, much of the story would be lost without the text. The illustrations definitely add to the message of the story. The colors used are very bright and lively, with exception of a couple pages where the mood changes to a more serious tone.
February 20, 2013
This book covers a very serious topic, terminal illness, in a loving way. The innocence of the main character reminds us all that it is not only the person who is ill that is effected. Although the character in this story has AIDS, the story could be used to help a child dealing with loss of anyone with any terminal illness.
Because of the serious subject matter, I would not read this book to young children without taking time to discuss it afterwards.
Because of the serious subject matter, I would not read this book to young children without taking time to discuss it afterwards.
August 9, 2014
It went over the head of the three year old, but a gentle intro to ongoing/chronic/terminal illnesses (in this case, AIDS).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews