For fans of Philip and Erin Stead and I Walk with Vanessa comes a tender, gently adventurous gem, with a reassuring message about the power of friends to soothe aches big and small.Alice loves life with her grandmother, making (and eating) crème brûlée, organizing buttons, and taking walks together through their Parisian neighborhood. But sometimes Alice wishes she had a sibling--or a friend--her own age. So she does the sensible thing: She writes a note--"Hello! I am Alice"--tucks it into a bottle, and tosses it into the River Seine. After a week, the bottle comes back, and, to Alice's delight, it contains a message! Her new pen pal, François, who wears funny hats and loves garlic butter, is everything Alice might have wished for in a friend. But then a big change comes: Alice's grandmother passes away, and Alice can't bring herself to write Francois more letters. Will the simple comforts of time, love, and friendship restore her joie de vivre? With charm and compassion, Gus Gordon explores themes of loneliness, loss, and the affirming power of found family and friendship.