A wordless story inspired by real events follows the actions of a little girl who inspires her community to stand up to bullying when a classmate is treated badly and she chooses to stand by her side, an act of kindness that leads to greater acceptance, understanding and the discovery of strength in numbers. By the illustrators of Malala's Magic Pencil. - (Baker & Taylor)

This simple yet powerful picture book--from a New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife team--tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying. The perfect back-to-school read for every kid, family and classroom!

Don't miss the companion book, I Forgive Alex, about the importance of compassion and forgiveness.

Inspired by real events, I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. By choosing only pictures to tell their story, the creators underscore the idea that someone can be an ally without having to say a word. With themes of acceptance, kindness, and strength in numbers, this timeless and profound feel-good story will resonate with readers young and old.

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

"This beautifully illustrated story shows young readers how to become caring and supportive upstanders. Love it!" --Trudy Ludwig, bestselling author of The Invisible Boy - (Random House, Inc.)

Kerascoët, a husband-and-wife team, are the illustrators of the highly acclaimed graphic novel Beautiful Darkness by Fabie Vehlmann, which was chosen by Publishers Weekly as a 2014 Best Book of the Year, and the New York Times bestselling Jacky Ha-Ha by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Kirkus called Kerascoët's artwork "perfectly delightful" in a starred review of their book Paul and Antoinette. They are also the illustrators of Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, to be published in fall 2017. Visit them at kerascoet.fr. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

In this wordless story, a dark-skinned girl (Vanessa) arrives in class and is shown a seat. She spends most of her day alone, but after school, a blond boy approaches, yelling and provoking tears. Another girl observes this interaction and becomes upset. The next morning, she stops at Vanessa's house to accompany her to school. As they walk along, other children join them, and everyone arrives at school as a cohesive group, minus the now isolated bully. French duo Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset (Paul and Antoinette, 2016), aka Kerascoët, here share a story that demonstrates how simple acts of kindness can turn a bullying situation around. The ink-and-watercolor artwork uses full color for the children (focusing on their expressive faces), and often mutes (or omits) the backgrounds. Comics conventions are used to good effect, and the final spreads feature the large, ethnically diverse cast of children. Appended with notes about bullying, this will be a welcome addition to the choose-kindness shelf. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

In this wordless story, brown-skinned newcomer Vanessa is bullied by a white boy as she walks home alone from school. A girl classmate witnesses the abuse; the next morning she walks to school with Vanessa and they're joined by more supporters. Watercolor and ink illustrations excel at communicating emotions; a mix of vignettes and full-page illustrations expertly controls the pacing. Bullying-related resources are appended. Copyright 2018 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

In this wordless, emotion-infused story, brown-skinned newcomer Vanessa is bullied by a blond-haired white boy as she walks home alone from school. The book may be wordless, but the illustrations clearly transmit that the words the boy uses are ugly ones: his mouth twists unnaturally out of shape, and the space around the two children turns an angry red. The only witness to the abuse is one of Vanessa's classmates; this girl tells her friends about it and then, pensive and distressed, muses on the situation late into the night. The next morning at breakfast, she gets an idea: she goes to Vanessa's house so that they can walk to school together. As they walk, hand in hand, they are joined by more and more children until an entire double-page spread is filled with enthusiastic Vanessa supporters. The bully is shown in a corner of the page, red-faced and frowning, facing the wrong direction, isolated and out of step. The watercolor and ink illustrations excel at communicating the characters' emotions; a mix of vignettes and full-page illustrations expertly controls the pacing. Back matter includes one note for children on how to help someone who is being bullied and a second one for adults with helpful vocabulary to use when talking about bullying with young people. Purposeful as can be, but affecting and effective. martha v. parravano Copyright 2017 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

In this wordless book, new girl Vanessa, shy and withdrawn, becomes a bully's target after school and finally runs home in tears.Another little girl sees it happen and is concerned enough to tell all of her friends, who also become concerned and wander home, sad for Vanessa. The observant girl stays up late, worrying, and the next morning, has the idea to go to Vanessa's house and offer to walk her to school, which she does. They're joined by one more kid, then another, and another, until a smiling throng accompanies Vanessa to school, with the bully skulking away. (Adult readers may recall a similar real-life scenario that took place at Baylor University in 2016, when a black student was racially bullied and then 300 students walked her to class.) In this book, Vanessa is black, and the protagonist has light brown skin and straight black hair. The bully is white, and the rest of the students are different ethnicities and races. Kerascoët's sweet, charming illustrations do the talking in this book—no words appear, and none are needed. Each page is lovingly and respectfully drawn using a lot of white space, spare application of bright watercolor, and thick ink linework kept simple but loaded with impact and emotion. Tips for children on helping a target of bullying and language for adults to use when talking about bullying with children follow the story. A wonderfully illustrated, hopeful book that can help caregivers tackle an emotionally fraught subject with even very young children. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In this powerful wordless tale by the French duo Kerascoët (Paul and Antoinette), a child reaches out to a fellow pupil who has been bullied. Vanessa isn't the only child of color in her school, but she is new; the teacher introduces her, and she sits by herself. On the way home, she's accosted by a boy with yellow hair, cries, and runs back to her house. Another girl sees what has happened, and, in an important series of vignettes, the artists make it clear how much the incident upsets her—one nighttime spread shows both girls awake and despondent in their bedrooms. In the morning, the girl invites Vanessa to walk to school with her, and they are soon joined by other children. It's not a story about bullying per se—although Vanessa's pain is evident, her emotions are not its focus. Instead, it looks at stepping up and being an ally. The wordless pages and small, toylike figures make this a good choice for young children who can work out for themselves what has happened, what Vanessa's new friend does, and why it works. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Feb.)

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 3—A picture book without words, but with images that speak volumes. This story, inspired by true events, follows Vanessa along her journey as the new kid in school. Like most new students, she feels nervous and even unwelcome at first, and she is treated unkindly on her walk home. Another child notices the bullying and decides to befriend Vanessa the very next day. What happens next is unexpected and quite beautiful as the whole school comes together to stand by Vanessa and show how a small act of kindness can unite an entire community. Created by a husband-and-wife team of illustrators who are known for their work on the critically acclaimed graphic novel Beautiful Darkness and most recently the picture book Malala's Magic Pencil, Kerascoët's latest book is powerful in its simplicity. The illustrations explore the various feelings of hurt, powerlessness, and anger that arise when being bullied or witnessing bullying, and the many positive feelings that accompany acts of acceptance and inclusion. A special afterword with advice for children and adults on how to help those who may be bullied or hurt is appended. The message is powerful: one small act can make a difference and change the world. VERDICT A simple, beautiful story with an empowering lesson and call to action. Recommended for every library.—Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library