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. [em](Apr.) [/em]