The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree by Paola Peretti

A nine-year-old girl named Mafalda is losing her vision due to a quickly consuming degenerative disease called Stargardt. Mafalda tries to hide the loss of her vision from everyone, and readers will follow the daily struggles the young girl endures. Her vision loss is measured by how far she can see the cherry tree on her way to school. To deal with her fears of becoming blind, she creates a list of the things she will not be able to do anymore when her sight is gone. In the meantime, her friends and her imagination help her deal with her inevitable loss of sight. A Batchelder Award novel that provides a sense of how "life goes on with unexpected joys." ("As she struggles with," 2019)

Critical Analysis

The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree is a contemporary fiction novel that has been translated from Italian by Italian author Paola Peretti. It is in the first person, and the plot is easy to follow. Mafalda is endearing, sensitive, and strong-willed, making her a positive role model. The book's themes include resilience and courage. There are not many illustrations in the book, but what is available is drawn in what appears to be black and grey colors. In one illustration, the readers see what appears to be Mafalda sitting with her cat in the cherry tree, but like in the other illustrations, the reader never sees a face. Most likely, the drawings are an extension of Mafalda's feelings about losing her vision.

The story connects to Italian culture by using various Italian names like Mafalda's cat Ottimo Turcaret, Cosimo, and Filippo. Similarly, All Saints' Day is celebrated, an Italian public holiday. Peretti's story is an authentic story of contemporary life in Italy by an Italian author that shares the same disease as Mafalda, which is an important distinction and story for children with this rare disease that causes progressive vision loss and eventual blindness.

The strength of this book is a mirror for children that develop a disability, showing them that life continues despite tragedy. The book's weakness is that the story ends before the reader can see how life continues for Mafalda. I found this book somewhat sad but highly powerful and uplifting. Also, I highly recommend the book due to its strong message surrounding resilience. Readers that enjoy this story may like a similar story called If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom about a girl who became blind at seven years old and who does not like to be treated differently.

References

"As she struggles with". (2019, September 3). The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 7, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/paola-peretti/the-distance-between-me-and-the-cherry-tree/

Peretti, P., & Muir, D. (2020). The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree. (D. Muir, Trans. & C. Rabei, Illust.) Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-1534439634