Maturana, Andrea. Life Without Nico. illus. by Francisco Javier Olea. 36p. Kids Can. Apr. 2016. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781771386111. 

K-Gr 2 –When best friends are separated, it may be difficult for them to express their feelings. When Maia learns that her closest friend Nico will be moving with his family to the other side of the world while his father pursues further education, she is heartbroken. Without her friend, Maia feels that there is a hole in her life. She feels gloomy until she finds a kitten, and the dark hole gets a little smaller. Then Maia meets a new friend and eventually embraces a new passion (the piano). She happily talks with Nico on the phone and thinks about his return. Her feelings are mixed: she looks forward to seeing him but worries that her life has become so full that she will not have time to spend with him. This is a sweet story about experiencing separation and loss, with illustrations and words that can assist children in expressing their feelings. The author provides an excellent representation of abstract feelings in a concrete way that children can grasp: a dark hole that needs to be filled. The flat, graphic-style illustrations on glossy pages are simple, vivid, and quite lovely. VERDICT This thoughtful and well-done exploration of loss and recovery is an important addition to library collections.–Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME