If You Come Softly and Behind You

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Children's Literature

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming writes a wonderfully moving love story evocative of Romeo and Juliet. In this bindup of If You Come Softly and Behind You, Jacqueline Woodson has created two heartbreaking, interconnected tales that beautifully capture the undying power of first love.

Sometimes, love outlives us.

Miah is black and Ellie is white. But that doesn't matter to them. All they want is to be together. But then, on a tragic evening, Ellie and Miah are separated forever. Now each is trying to figure out how to move on-without the other.

"Woodson handles delicate, even explosive subject matter with exceptional clarity, surety, and depth."-Publishers Weekly, starred review of If You Come Softly

"Love and sadness permeate the pages of this brief, beautifully written novel, but there is a feeling of hope at the end."-KLIATT on Behind You

"Woodson writes with impressive poetry about race, love, death, and what grief feels like-the things that 'snap the heart'-and her characters' open strength and wary optimism resonate."-Booklist on Behind You