A family learns what home really means, as they leave one beloved residence and make a new home in another.
Home can be many things--a window, a doorway, a rug . . . or a hug. At home, everything always feels the same: comfortable and safe.
But sometimes things change, and a home must be left behind.
Follow a family as they move out of their beloved, familiar house and learn that they can bring everything they love about their old home to the new one, because they still have each other. This heartfelt picture book by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard is richly illustrated by former Pixar animator Chris Sasaki.--from the publisher
40 pages 978-0823441563 Ages 4-8
Keywords: moving, new experiences, home, feelings, family, emotions, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, diverse books, diversity
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“When I’m home everything seems to be right”
--Lennon/McCartney, “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)
“Home is washing, rinsing, and drying,
and whenever a dish gets broken, someone to help you sweep.
Home is one more hide-and-seek before bath,
bubbles if you are lucky,
and a blanket of your own -- mostly.
Home is Ms. Vera’s lamplight shared with you,
a book before you fall asleep,
and a kiss afterward.
Home is what feels the same each day
and sometimes what is new.”
HOME IS A WINDOW is an inspiring, poetic picture book about the place we live. It involves a family that is leaving one home behind and moving to a new one. It’s a great resource for children who are experiencing such a transition.
But the feelings conjured up by this meditation upon home-ness make it much, much more than a useful book for kids who are faced with changing residences.
Home is the physical space that we share with other people, usually family members, and possibly some pets. It’s the place where we keep our stuff and mostly know where everything is. One hopes that, for every child, it is a safe, happy, peaceful, and healthy space, one’s refuge from the world out there. It’s the place where we get our mail and welcome extended family and friends. Home may extend to a front porch and a backyard, maybe with a swing or a tree to climb. It’s the backdrop for many of our daily routines, and the primary setting for the story that is our life.
HOME IS A WINDOW is a book that can be readily shared with preschoolers right up through third- and fourth-graders. At the younger end, it will inspire enthusiastic circle time discussions of home. For older kids, it will serve as an inspiring prompt in writing about their home lives and moves they’ve experienced.
Reading it reminded me how fortunate I am to have a home that is all that a home should be. It also reminds me that far too many are not so lucky.
The interaction of text and pictures here is perfect. Chris Sasaki’s illustrations are warm and joyful. Given the poetry of the text, the illustrations necessarily take the lead in conveying the story arc of a girl who, with her family, moves to a new home.
This is one not to miss.
40 pages 978-0-8234-4156-3 Ages 3-7
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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