MWSA Review

You Are Always With Me by Daniel L. Berry is a little gem of a book, offering in lyrical rhyming couplets and charming illustrations a sort of love letter to a child separated from a parent on deployment. Beginning and ending with the words, “You are always with me,” the poem addresses the variety of emotions the child might feel—such as uncertainty, sadness, guilt, fear, and loneliness—and offers gentle reminders of how thoughts and dreams and letters and phone calls can help those who are physically separated stay emotionally connected. The illustrations by Brian Azhar are warmly appealing. The muted colors—greens, blues, browns, golds—add to the quiet, contemplative quality of the poem. The characters, illustrated as animals instead of humans, are easy for anyone to identify with. The varied physical expressions and gestures of the two main characters—sweet-faced but by no means saccharine-sweet rabbits—convey the emotions named in the text. The book is somewhat limited by the illustrations of the narrator, which limit the parent-figure to a father, and a slightly jarring rhythm caused by the varying numbers of syllables in the couplets (which, however, slow reading could smooth over). All in all, this is a wonderful book to read aloud to a young child separated from a parent. And it’s a book an eager child will undoubtedly memorize and “read” along with, time after time.

Review by Nancy Arbuthnot (June 2020)

Author's Synopsis

A beautifully illustrated children’s book designed to help deployed service members, and the deployed civilians who support them, connect with their loved-ones.

Written by an author who has worked in support of the military overseas, “You Are Always With Me” is an illustrated rhyming poem intended for those at home when a service member or civilian deploys. The poem reassures those encountering this separation by addressing the emotions they often feel: 

- Abandonment
- Anger
- Confusion
- Sadness
- Fear for their deployed loved one

“You Are Always With Me” depicts two cartoon rabbits, one leaving for deployment, and the other staying home. The book contains a personalized dedication page, and is a perfect gift for any loved-one coping with separation during deployment, to include:

- Children
- Husband or wife
- Girlfriend or boyfriend
- Niece or nephew

Although many women service members deploy, as do many civilians, most of the books on this subject are intended for families of male soldiers.  “You are Always With Me” is unique in that it is appropriate for any branch of service, and any age, race, or gender.

From deployment through homecoming, this book is indispensable in helping those who serve bridge the distance to connect in a meaningful way with those they love.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781734718102, 9781734718126
Book Format(s): Softcover, hardcover
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Number of Pages: 24