Vincent Comes Home

Spouses Jessixa Bagley (Boats for Papa) and Aaron Bagley (Rocking Fatherhood) collaborate on a story set on a container ship that sails the world’s oceans. “I can’t wait to get home,” says the first mate. “Whenever I go home, I never want to leave,” adds the cook. “Where is this Home place?” wonders Vincent, the freighter’s cat. Vincent soon understands, when the ship docks and he follows the sailors to their houses, watching as their loved ones greet them. “Home is where the people who love you are,” Vincent realizes. Maybe he doesn’t have a home, he worries—until the freighter’s concerned captain finds him and brings him to back to the ship (cleverly named the Domus). The Bagleys’ pen-and-watercolor spreads offer all kinds of visual information: views of Vincent’s changing emotions, portraits of the crew members, and sweeping vistas of coastal scenery. Families and homes don’t all look alike, the Bagleys conclude, but they are equally valuable. A bonus: setting this domestically focused tale aboard a ship draws transport-loving readers into conversations about the inner lives of the people who make them go. Ages 4–6. Agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (Feb.)