Home

De la Peña and Long, the duo behind Love, reteam to consider another universally resonant concept: home. A series of warmly lit scenes show children in residences where home is sensed in a city’s nighttime hours (“a tired lullaby/ and... late-night traffic that mumbles”) and vibrations beneath a flight path (“the rumble/ you feel through the floorboards”). When one’s “heart syncs up/ with the hurry of the world,” home becomes further defined by movement and perception (“an early-morning jackhammer,” “the eighteen-wheel groan/ of your father’s big rig”). Hard times and weather emergencies are real, second-person text communicates, inviting readers to think of home as more than a physical place: “not a house you leave behind/ but the people who walk beside you.” Sparkling landscapes suggest these are home, too: “not the walls we build up/... but the wild, wild world outside.” In a striking portrait, a child looks directly at the reader, the bright reflection in each pupil a tiny image of Earth, and a startling reminder of the planet everyone calls home. The creators tell a moving story about cultivating home in different places—one that leans into themes of healing, resilience, and finding center. Characters are represented with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Steven Malk, Writers House. (Mar.)