Being Home

Gr 2-6–In the past, it seemed like books about Native Americans fit one of two molds: picture books overly romanticizing history, or chapter books about kids breaking trauma cycles and escaping the hopelessness of the reservation. With Being Home, readers get a significant alternate to those narratives. Not only is it a children’s book about a modern-day Cherokee girl, but it’s about her joyful return to her family’s country home, minus any rift or heartbreak. It’s pure rejoicing in nature and space. The illustrations follow her journey from a hectic and overwhelming cityscape to the lush greenery and naturalistic styles surrounding trees and creeks. Integrated in the journey from the cramped city are stylized pink drawings of birds and symbols, guiding the way with promises of peaceful traditions. The text of the book is plain and straightforward; it is not rhyming, but there’s a deep undercurrent of rhythm to how the story unfolds. It’s strong and reassuring. It echoes the pull of home, to a contented place where you belong.