No Matter Where I Go is Jessica Mathisen's first picture book and is illustrated by Katie Rewse, and published by B&H Kids.
Mathisen puts you right into Elena's very hard and confusing world from page one. There is no turning back and no closing it as if nothing has happened. She writes it from the first-person point of view, which cuts down how harsh or jarring it could be because we're viewing the world through young eyes. Young eyes that are trying to make sense of her unstable world.
Turn the page because just as we read in the Bible, you never know what God is planning in the next chapter or even, at times, the next verse.
“Mrs. Miller calls me to her desk and asks me, 'Are you okay, Elena?'
I tell her how I feel.
'Elena...
no matter where you go,
no matter where you are,
God loves you big and cares for you.
Just trust that in your heart.' ”
We read this reminder 7 times throughout the book. Your kids will definitely be able to put this to memory. And that's what we want, right? Good stuff stuck in their heads!
It's from this point that Elena's world changes. She is placed into foster care. Rewse, through her illustrations, gives us Elena's last moments in her home. Yes, these two, very simple pages, are heavy. If you have somehow been part of the foster world you'll feel these pages immensely.
We get to be part of what is happening to Elena externally, but we also get to be with her internally. She has many thought bubbles with all her doubts, questions, and insecurities.
“'Does God really love and care for me?
I hope they like me.
How can Mama take care of the garden all by herself?'”
I'm telling you, this book has emotions. Be ready for some really good questions and conversations as you read, afterward (using the Parent Connection in the back), and don't shy away from it. You'll be thankful for opening this world up to your children.
Mathisen does a great job including loving and kind adults in Elena's life. Not only is she learning that God is always with her, but we can see that God has given her others to care for her, guide her along this rocky path. We learn that God is our provider for the small things in life and the really BIG stuff.
The end of the story doesn't really end. We don't know if Elena gets to go back home, stays with her foster family longer, or is even adopted, but like most really hard things in life that God gives us, we do our best when we remember who God is and what He does. Elena has learned this too:
“I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I don't know how long I will be here with this new family. But I do know one thing in my heart.
'No matter where I go, no matter where I am, God loves me big and cares for me. I trust God has a plan.'”
Amen.