No Place Like Home

7/12/2019

Home is a Window
by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard ill by Chris Sasaki

Home is what feels the same and sometimes what is new.

Home is a Window is a quiet little treasure. wrapping youngsters who face change in a reassuring embrace.
Title page features a busy urban neighborhood, filled with homes and shops, pets and people. Observant readers will notice a young girl walking her dog. With the first page turn, she steps off the street and enters her home.

Stephanie Parsley Ledyard's descriptive text enumerates the comforting familiarity of simple things: a basket for your shoes, someone to help, a blanket all your own.

As the narrative progresses, it becomes apparent that things are changing. Belongings are packed. The family piles into the car, leaving the city. A journey commences. Eventually the family reaches their destination. A new home. A new neighborhood. However, a sense of belonging, the familiarity of routines, and reassurance of family remain a constant. She realizes that this new place can become a home for her.

Note the book’s case nestled beneath the cover, resembling a warm and cozy patchwork quilt. This colorful blanket makes cameo appearances throughout the story. Endpapers appropriately frame the story, with a daylight urban neighborhood serving as an introduction and a suburban night scene bringing the story to a restful conclusion.

Chris Sasaki's illustrations feature a multiracial family joined together with warmth and love. Many images feature some form of an embrace: mother and daughter, husband and wife, friends and neighbors, father and daughter, dog and boy. Each reach out to touch another individual, providing a strong sense of connection. Joyous simplicity and tender reassurance permeate each image.

Share this book with those who have experienced change or anticipate a change.