Home Is a Window

A smiling girl and her dog gaze out a city dwelling's window on the cover of this reassuring, lyrical story. Dinnertime with her extended mixed-race community underscores the reassurance of home ("Home is a table/ with something good/ and the people gathered there") and of family ("Home is washing,/ rinsing and drying,/ and whenever a dish gets broken,/ someone to help you sweep"). Ledyard (Pie Is for Sharing) and Sasaki, once a Pixar animator, shift the tale's trajectory when a page turn reveals a living room filled with packing boxes. The following day, the girl, her brother, their parents, and their hound move to a sunlit suburban house, where they again find solace in togetherness as they picnic on the floor. At story's close, the girl and dog look out from another window, appreciating a new version and vision of home. Ledyard's extemporaneous text leaves wide berth for kids to amplify and personalize the story--as does Sasaki's whimsical, tranquil digital art, which features an amalgam of patterns and geometric shapes. Emphasizing the comfort of the familiar and the promise of new beginnings, this book provides a conversation prompt for families making a move. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

PreS-Gr 2--Home can be many things--a window, a doorway, a rug, or one more game of hide-and-seek before bath. Home is a book before you fall asleep, a little bit of green, a special corner, and a cozy chair. Perhaps even more so, home is safe and warm, and what feels the same each day. But sometimes things change, and when a familiar home is left behind, a family soon discovers that a new house in a new place can also become a home. In this new space, home is a window, sunlight, a corner for your toys, and, most important, "the people gathered near" who, after all, are what make any house a home. The latest picture book by Ledyard, author of the critically acclaimed Pie Is for Sharing, is beautifully illustrated by Pixar animator Sasaki. Ledyard's sweet text describing home pairs seamlessly with Sasaki's rich and detailed illustrations, which further show all that home can be. This heartwarming story about family and moving will show readers the true meaning of home: the people you share it with. VERDICT A poignant tale sure to help many children deal with the change that moving brings, but recommended for all.--Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library