"Satisfying yet bittersweet conclusion. Klassen's interspersed scene-setting black-and-white art adds textured layers of complexity. This sensitively imagined story effectively explores issues of human-animal connection, emotional vulnerability, the aftermath of conflict, and found family." -- The Horn Book (starred review) "This is a deftly nuanced look at the fragility and strength of the human heart. An impressive sequel." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The book's message is most simply put by Pax when he tells his kit that "after loving, you are afraid," but it is still worth it. It's a hard heart that will keep the tears away for this one, so have plenty of tissues nearby." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "The stakes feel higher this time, the pain deeper, making for a worthy sequel and a heartbreaking and beautifully life-affirming exploration of the concepts of home, family, and the love that makes it all worthwhile.

" -- Booklist "Pennypacker brilliantly walks this tightrope of evoking the power and pain of love. The end result is a story about healing and forgiveness: healing from war, from poisons in the environment, from pain and loss, from the ways people disappoint those they love." -- New York Journal of Books.