If You Were Here

If you were here I’d hug you tight. If you were here I’d say, ‘You are my very bestest friend.’ I wish you could have stayed. If You Were Here is a beautiful rhyming story for little ones who have lost someone important to them. Through a little boy’s journey of loss to hope, If You Were Here shows us how we are always and forever connected to those we cherish.

About the Author

Elisabeth Sophia is an Australian children’s author with a background in nursing. She is also the mother of two beautiful little boys who inspire and share her love of picture books. Elisabeth is passionate about writing stories for children that engage and entertain them, but also empower them to be brave, hopeful and more connected to their feelings and their world. After losing her mother to cancer in 2018, Elisabeth wrote If You Were Here as a tribute to her mum and three-year-old-son, Jack, to capture their love and eternal bond.

About the Illustrator

Anita Bagdi is a self-taught freelance children’s book illustrator, a mum of two wonderful girls and a worried warrior of climate change. With her quirky, whimsical book illustrations, she loves creating mood, capturing everyday feelings and telling a story with a twist or a sparkle of magic. In her spare time, she shares powerful illustrations about our relationship with the natural world and explores folk art from her Hungarian cultural heritage. Anita lives with her family in the sunny Bournemouth, UK.