The clever wordplay and painterly doodling by Marcero (author/illustrator of the picture books “My Heart Is a Compass” and “In a Jar”) will keep readers eager for adventure after adventure. There are more “uh-ohs” along the way as Comet adjusts to the ups and downs of an earthly relationship (“growing things is hard”), which is what makes this tale so authentic. “Uh-oh.” But then the deep blue sea reminds Comet of space, and Comet reminds Haylee of a dolphin, jumping and playing in the waves.

When they’re finished, Haylee’s half of the ship looks ready to sail the ocean, Comet’s to fly through space. Haylee starts on the front, Comet on the back. There are lots of parts but no instructions, so they use their imaginations. It seems Comet, too, is lonely: “I was in my own orbit, without anyone else to share it.” Together, they build a Friend Ship from a kit. One night, rather than darting away, the “tiny yellow flare” to which she pleads her most pressing case gets closer and closer, bigger and bigger, until (“uh-oh”) it knocks her over and lands in her lap. Haylee loves to wish on stars, but only falling stars. ‘Haylee and Comet: A Tale of Cosmic Friendship,’ by Deborah Marcero (Roaring Brook, June 1)

Long distance by whitney gardner