"We're going camping, you and me.?
"Where?? I ask.
"The desert,? says Dad. "To shake hands with the universe.?

Going to bed each night can be dark and scary. The night sky stretches out endlessly, making one sensitive child feel small in comparison. So Dad comes up with a plan: a night of camping out in the desert. Together, the two load up Darlin', the old pickup truck, and drive over the mountain with the radio on, stopping to shoot the breeze at a junkyard before setting up camp, jumping in sand dunes, and lying back to name all the birds they can see. After sunset, when the young thinker feels tiny against the vast sky, Dad knows just what to ask - and just what to say - to soothe away fears. Maybe this night spent under the stars (and a surprise from Mum and the baby later) are just what is needed to show that the universe is a friendly place.

Jessica Love is an actor and the author-illustrator of Julian Is a Mermaid, her debut picture book that won the Bologna Ragazzi Award and Klaus Flugge Prize, and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2019. She is also the author-illustrator of Julian at the Wedding. She has a BA in studio art from the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as a graduate degree from Juilliard. She has appeared in plays both on and off Broadway. Find her on Instagram as @jesslovedraws.