And They Walk on
Hardcover – Picture Book, October 14, 2025
Roaring Brook Press · Hardcover · October 14, 2025
A boy says farewell to a loved one as he imagines her walking on into her next journey, a moving and superbly illustrated story about loss and hope by Fry Bread author Kevin Noble Maillard and illustrated by acclaimed, award-winning artist Rafael López.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A tender picture book holds grief beside the everyday warmth of a grandmother’s love.
- Themes
- Grief and loss, Enduring love, Family memories
- Genres
- Loss & Grief, US: Native American Stories, Big Feelings
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Wind WatchersMicha Archer52% match
El NiñoPam Muñoz Ryan51% matchShares Loss & Grief
Curry Means MoreMaria Marianayagam55% match
My Olive TreeHazar Elbayya54% match
A Place for USJames Ransome61% match
The Witch in the TowerJúlia Sardà52% match
Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, LostBetina Birkjær60% matchShares Big Feelings
A Song of FrutasMargarita Engle54% match
For older readers: Alte Zachen / Old Things, To Drink Coffee With a Ghost, When We See You Again
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
A boy says farewell to a loved one as he imagines her walking on into her next journey, a moving and superbly illustrated story about loss and hope by Fry Bread author Kevin Noble Maillard and illustrated by acclaimed, award-winning artist Rafael López. When a young boy’s grandmother walks on, he wonders where she’s gone. Did she go to the market to buy ripe melons? Or maybe she’s in the garden, watering her herbs?
Continue reading
It feels like she’s somewhere far away, so the boy finds new ways to share stories about his day, hoping she can hear him. Even her house feels like it’s waiting for her return. Then as the boy approaches the kitchen, the scent and memories of her cooking assure him that no matter where she is, her love will always be close by. Because when someone walks on, they stay with us. They grow in our hearts and guide us as we walk in their footsteps. Award-winning author of Fry Bread, Kevin Noble Maillard, breathes life and love into this intimate picture book about loss, with illustrations from renowned, best-selling artist, Rafael López.
Love Stays Close
A tender picture book holds grief beside the everyday warmth of a grandmother’s love.
Come here for
- A gentle way into a child’s experience of loss
- Garden, kitchen, and story memories that keep love close
Expect
- An intimate farewell shaped by hope and memory
- Illustrations alongside a warm, reflective story
Where it sits
| Loss & Grief | 85% |
|---|---|
| US: Native American Stories | 74% |
| Big Feelings | 47% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- US: Native American Stories
- Loss & Grief
- Big Feelings
- Authors
- Kevin Maillard
- Publisher
- Roaring Brook Press
- Published
- October 14, 2025
- Format
- Hardcover
- Theme
- Grief and loss · Enduring love · Family memories
- Reading lane
- US: Native American Stories