Home

by Matt de la Peña, Loren Long (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

From the brilliant mind of Matt de la Pena and the indelible vision of Loren Long comes a timeless tale about the idea of Home, in all of its complexities.

From a Newbery Medal-winning author and a bestselling illustrator, the powerhouse duo behind the #1 New York Times bestseller Love, comes a deeply moving ode to the places we feel safe, loved, and true to ourselves—wherever they might be.

*”Beckons readers from the first page . . . Simply divine.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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.

So begins this stirring celebration of home in its many forms. For home is an idea more profound than the walls we build up around ourselves. It’s the family that shows its love through small gestures every day. It’s the community that sees one another through hard times. And it’s the wonder of the natural world, a refuge we share with every living thing on Earth.

With lyrical text and expressive artwork, Matt de la Peña and Loren Long’s meditation on the universal pull of home, whatever its form, is destined to become a new classic that will be cherished by readers of every age.

Don't miss the Spanish-language edition of this book, Hogar.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593110898
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Matt de la Peña is the Newbery Medal–winning author of Last Stop on Market Street. He is also the author of the award-winning picture books The Perfect Place, Patchwork, Milo Imagines the World, Carmela Full of Wishes, Love, and A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, as well as a number of critically acclaimed young adult novels. Visit him at mattdelapena.com.

Loren Long is the author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Otis series, which is now an animated television series. He's also the illustrator of the New York Times bestsellers Change Sings by Amanda Gorman, Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama, and Love by Matt de la Peña. Visit him at LorenLong.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/25/2024

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.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Home:

* "Beckons readers from the first page, capably pulling them from scenes of ordinary comforts to musings on sorrow and back . . . [H]ome becomes a quiet father’s gentle guidance, a hardworking grandma rolling tortillas, and a welcome from a kind teacher. These moments of simple yet exceptional connections among people, and between cities and nature, build to a crescendo that harkens back to the “thump, thump, thump” of the human heart—a potent reminder of life’s promises. Similarly, Long’s acrylic art transforms portraits of ordinary days and nights into formidable reveries, featuring folks varied in skin color and cultural background. Of course, the penultimate double-page spread framed around a child’s pensive face—Earth reflected in the character’s eyes—is the most astounding . . . Simply divine." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "A moving story about cultivating home in different places—one that leans into themes of healing, resilience, and finding center." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "The lovely and poetic text will bring readers a feeling of calm and encourage them to slow down and pause. Heartwarming and striking illustrations depict families in embrace, moments of peace, and even difficult scenes of loss and hardship—but readers will always find love and home in each image. Both language editions are eloquent and will evoke feelings of tranquility and peace. A stunning and lyrical title that is a perfect addition to English and Spanish-language picture book collections for children, and an excellent choice to share with children of all ages.—School Library Journal, starred review

"Poignant . . . Whether depicting calm or disaster, Long’s art is full of emotion, and each of his textured acrylic paintings is a masterclass in color and shading. The story [highlights] all of the wonder and beauty of our greater home, Earth, reminding us that though four walls may be lost, the concept of home is much bigger." —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

★ 01/31/2025

K-Gr 3—What makes a place a home? What does home feel like? Playing with blocks, enjoying an afternoon by the lake, a late-night story before bed—these and more can help define what a home might be for a child. But what happens when their physical home changes, perhaps due to loss and events out of their control? Hopefully, they'll come to understand that home isn't always a physical place, but the warm hand of someone they love, special moments with people who care, and taking time to appreciate the world, animals, and wildlife around. The lovely and poetic text will bring readers a feeling of calm and encourage them to slow down and pause. Heartwarming and striking illustrations depict families in embrace, moments of peace, and even difficult scenes of loss and hardship—but readers will always find love and home in each image. Both language editions are eloquent and will evoke feelings of tranquility and peace. VERDICT A stunning and lyrical title that is a perfect addition to English and Spanish-language picture book collections for children, and an excellent choice to share with children of all ages.—Selenia Paz

School Library Journal

★ 2024-11-23
In the wake of their lyrical rumination onLove (2018), de la Peña and Long ponder the incomparable possibilities of home.

Glimpses plucked from everyday lives—a parent and child cozying up at bedtime, a man fishing as his grandchild observes, a youngster at play as an airplane flies just beyond the window—offer potential representations of home. Perhaps home is a cozy bed on a big rig or a fancy high-rise with its doorman and pool. But, as de la Peña notes, “a home can be lost,” whether due to a flood, a job loss, or other unfortunate tides of life. The author’s constant reference to “you” beckons readers from the first page, capably pulling them from scenes of ordinary comforts to musings on sorrow and back. From there, home becomes a quiet father’s gentle guidance, a hardworking grandma rolling tortillas, and a welcome from a kind teacher. These moments of simple yet exceptional connections among people, and between cities and nature, build to a crescendo that harkens back to the “thump, thump, thump” of the human heart—a potent reminder of life’s promises. Similarly, Long’s acrylic art transforms portraits of ordinary days and nights into formidable reveries, featuring folks varied in skin color and cultural background. Of course, the penultimate double-page spread framed around a child’s pensive face—Earth reflected in the character’s eyes—is the most astounding. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.

Simply divine.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews