The Island

By Gideon Sterer

A powerful and poetic picture book, featuring gorgeous watercolor art, about a child who learns to make peace with their overwhelming emotions.

Sometimes I go to the Island.
I never mean to go.
I never want to go.
But the sky darkens,
and the wind rises,
and the current pulls me away.

On the Island, a child wanders down dim and winding paths, their emotions churning. Loneliness. Sadness. Fear.

But today on the Island, for the first time, they meet another person. A person who guides them out of the shadows. Assures them that everyone feels this way sometimes. And helps them find their way home.

From two New York Times-bestselling creators comes a moving picture book about the island inside all of us: the place we go when we feel scared and sad and overwhelmed. It shows kids that, by exploring and learning from our scariest emotions, we can feel more at home inside ourselves.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593900146
• ISBN13: 9780593900147
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3