Picture Book

Home

A spectacular tour through the dwellings of twenty-seven different animals, from a hermit crab’s secondhand shell to a beaver’s lakeside dam to a comet moth’s silk cocoon. Acclaimed creator Isabelle Simler presents a poetic journey through amazing animal homes across the world. In Europe, alpine marmots stay safe in underground refuges. In southeast Asia, Sumatran orangutans doze off in treetop bedrooms. In Mexico and the southwestern US, elf owls nest in holes in saguaro cacti. On every continent but Antarctica, honeybees mold wax into palaces for their queens.

No matter where you travel, some creature is making an extraordinary place to call home. With connections to life cycles, camouflage, and other biological concepts, Home is a spellbinding showcase of the wonders of the natural world. Enchanting poetry, fascinating back matter, and intricately detailed art invite young readers to be amazed by the creativity and diversity of our animal neighbors.

A Maleta Full Of Treasures

It’s been three years since Abuela’s last visit, and Dulce revels in every tiny detail from Abuela’s maletas full of candies in crinkly wrappers and gifts from primos to the sweet, earthy smell of Peru that floats out of Abuela’s room and down the hall. But Abuela’s visit can’t last forever, and all too soon she’s packing her suitcases again. Then Dulce has an idea: maybe there are things she can gather for her cousins and send with Abuela to remind them of the U.S. relatives they’ve never met. And despite having to say goodbye, Abuela has one more surprise for Dulce, something to help her remember that home isn’t just a place, but the deep rooted love they share no matter the distance.

The Interpreter

Some kids have one job: to be a kid! Cecilia has two. When she isn’t on the soccer field scoring goals, she’s accompanying her parents to all kinds of grown-up places, like the DMV, the accountant’s office, and the auto shop. She helps them translate from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish. It’s an important job, and it can even be fun. It’s also hard work. Sometimes Cecilia’s second job is so much responsibility, it feels like she’ll split in two! Is it time for Cecilia to blow her whistle and call for a time out?

The Peanut Man

The story of a Cuban refugee and her joy in an unexpected encounter that connects her beloved home in Havana with her new home in Atlanta. Each evening Coqui waits for the familiar cry of the Peanut Man—”¡Mani! Peanuts!”—and watches for him to appear on the street below her window. They always greet each other in their own special way—Coqui tucks her thumbs in her ears and sticks out her tongue at Emilio. And Emilio, to her great amusement, does the same in return. Night after night, the two friends continue their ritual.

One evening, Coqui sadly announces, “Nos vamos.” She tells him that they have to leave Cuba. They are going to the United States. Emilio tries to assure her that she will like many things about los Estados Unidos, especially beisbol, her favorite sport. “But don’t forget your friend Emilio,” he says as he walks away. “¡Nunca!” she calls out through tears. She could never forget him.

Coqui and her family arrive in Decatur, Georgia, in the dead of winter to snow-covered ground. Her father seals the windows with duct tape and they await the arrival of spring. Coqui watches for the Peanut Man, but he does not appear. Several years pass, she learns wobbly English, and becomes a devoted Atlanta Braves fan. She forgets her beloved Peanut Man. Then one day her father surprises her with the perfect birthday gift—two tickets for a Braves game to see their favorite player Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. As they settle into their seats amid the cheering crowds, Coqui hears a man yelling “Peanuts! Get your peanuts!” The delicious smell of roasted peanuts reaches her and memories of home and Emilio rush into her head.

Tíos And Primos

A little girl meets more relatives than she can count but how will she communicate with them if she can’t speak their language? It’s a little girl’s first trip to her papa’s homeland, and she’s wowed by all the amazing sights and sounds, and especially by the size of her enormous family! But she only knows a little Spanish, and it’s hard not to be able to share jokes and stories. Fortunately, her relatives help her see that there are other ways they can connect, and soon she feels like she’s right where she belongs: in the heart of a loving family, learning as she goes along.

The Gift of Eid

With Baba gone, Yasmine doesn’t have enough money to buy Mama’s Eid gift and can’t think of anything she wants for herself when Mama asks. While Mama’s haggling with the baker, she gets an idea. And after exchanging gifts with her mom in the Masjid, Yasmine realizes that true Eid joy comes from being together.

Powerful Like A Dragon

Young Shu Lok didn’t know there was a war until it appeared on his doorstep. Overnight, everything changes. His parents send him away, tucking him into a basket alongside his cousins to be carried to safety. They travel in search of a place the war does not reach, over cloud wreathed clifftops, and through cold, hungry nights where a rocky bed and cold bean curd cake are all that await him. But Shu Lok comes to find that war does not define him. He remembers his parents’ words: be powerful like a dragon. Even if food and comfort are scarce, strength, resilience, and kindness can always be found. Even in the harshest times, dragons can learn to fly.

New Shoes For Leo

William’s Mami and his Tía Ana are busy packing a big box of food, medicine, and clothing to mail to their family living in Cuba. But something important is missing. They have no zapatos, no shoes, to send Cousin Leo!

Home

Love, comes a moving meditation on the places we feel most comfortable, loved, and protected, wherever that might be. Home is a tired lullaby and a late night traffic that mumbles in through a crack in your curtains. Home is the faint trumpet of a distant barge as your grandfather casts his line from the edge of his houseboat.

Home is featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 3.