'Aerts' story resonates honestly and clearly with reassurance that friendship can weather changes and bridge distances. Memorable and visually rich.'
– Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
'This Dutch import depicts two young friends who live in a rural village surrounded by cherry orchards. Their relationship is upended by Adin’s family’s move to the city. Separated and lonely, they each plant cherry seeds to lead the way to the other, and a touch of magical realism in the resulting cherry blossoms creates a beautiful path for their friendship. The artwork, hand-drawn with pen and gouache, uses soft pastels and lush spreads that follow the spare text.'
– School Library Journal
'Cherry Blossom and Paper Planes is a gorgeously illustrated and lyrically written story about friendship that will appeal to a wide range of picture book readers. Perfect for when a child is losing a friend to moving, but also just a lush and lovely read to explore regardless.'
– YA and Kids Books Central, 5/5
'Quiet, polished gouache-and-pen spreads of cherry orchards and winding European streets soften the story of dear friends Dina and, who are forced to say goodbye to each other... Belgian writer Aerts sets his story about deep friendship, gracefully translated, against a backdrop of natural beauty.'
– Publishers' Weekly
'Words fail me in my attempt to provide a review that captures how moving and sweet this story is. Whether you were the friend that had to move away or the friend that stayed when someone else did, the loss is real and difficult. But, Cherry Blossom and Paper Planes shows how distance in miles does not mean distance in heart as we watch Dina and Adin work through their loneliness and grief when Adin's family moves away.'
– A Garden of Books'
'A lovely story of friendship near and far. The illustrations are breathtaking and enhance the story immensely. Subtle nods to differences in race and class – and how they can mean little to children but have greater implications /7ndash; will make good discussion points for older readers, but anyone who has ever moved or had a friend move away will appreciate this story. Incredibly captivating.'
– Tildy Banker-Johnson, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA for Indie Bound
'[This book] has a lovely quiet to it. From the quiet friendship spent together in trees eating cherries to the quiet of loneliness for a close friend, all are captured on these pages. The emotions of a friend leaving are captured beautifully too as is the lasting connection between people and places. The writing is superb, celebrating cherries and trees and steadily building to that moment in spring when trees burst into bloom.
The art of this picture book celebrates the countryside and nature. The book captures the seasons with different colors and silhouettes of the trees. The rich green of summer turns to the browns of autumn to the whites of winter and then to a vibrant light green of spring that reaches to the city with its illumination on the page.
A lovely look at a cherry of a friendship.'
– Waking Brain Cells
'The illustrations provided by Sanne te Loo are absolutely beautiful – especially the beautiful landscape of the fruit farm and the cherry blossom trees blooming in the spring. While reading this book, the first thought that came to me was that this would be perfect for a child who is moving, or even going to another school and might be missing some special friends. This shows that any friendship a child has does not need to end just because of a move...
A beautiful story with equally beautiful illustrations.'
– Youth Services Book Review, 5/5
