Cover Image: This House Is Home

This House Is Home

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

An interesting take on gentrification for kids. I’m sure this would do great in a school setting to go over this topic but I’m not so sure it would work in a home library for kiddos. With that being said it was well written & easy to follow & it had beautiful illustrations that would keep Littles attention on the book & lesson being taught. I think this would make a fantastic addition to a classroom library.

Was this review helpful?

This children's book can be a solace to those young ones who find their homes, which can be said to be their entire world, is undergoing change brought on by forces of modernization and development. Neighborhoods change and many such changes are beyond the control of the children even their families. Some move along with the change, others must pave their own path.

I appreciated that the main character was learning to live with these changes, and see them as new opportunities. However, the ending left me a bit puzzled as to how that would be interpreted by a young child.

Was this review helpful?

This House is a Home tells a story of how change affects a family. In this story, a beautiful house that once was in the country finds itself now surrounded by the business of a city. The family struggles because they cannot imagine life in any other house. However, they also know that staying in the city will not bring them the happiness that they once had.

Was this review helpful?

Using soft watercolors, Kang renders beautiful illustrations to accompany Deborah Kerbel's empowering story of how one rabbit finds a solution to save the family home as everything around changes. This is a great read aloud and can lead to discussions about home, urbanization, and rural living. The ending is surprising, but will be satisfying to young readers.

Thank you OwlKids and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and Owlkids books for the advance digital reading copy of this book.

This was a really sweet story about Lily and how she deals with the changes happening to her and her family. This book would be a great edition to any library to help children learn to deal with the changes in their own life.

Was this review helpful?

The story is about a rabbit family facing down progress with the home being built around. The illustrations are gorgeous. I enjoyed the story but was a little unsure about the ending. All in all though it was a great book.

Was this review helpful?

This look is about a family's home. When construction takes over the property surrounding their home things begin to change, but they refuse to leave their home.

My daughter liked the illustrations in this book but the story was a bit too loose for her to understand. It really didn't explain much in the way of what was happening other than change.

Was this review helpful?

** spoiler alert ** When developers come knocking, Lily's grandmother chooses to have their family stay put, which results in their home no longer being the refuge it once was when a loud highway and large buildings surround them on all sides.

I'm torn about how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I appreciate the creativity and ingenuity that Lily comes up with of moving their home to another location in order to find the peace their home once allowed, but the fact of the matter is, many people who are essentially chased out of their homes as a result of development and gentrification can't just up and move their homes. I know this is just a story, but there is a privilege to the resolution of this story that should be addressed in its discussions.

Was this review helpful?

A good little piece for the young, featuring a large family of rabbits that refuse to bow down to "progress" and end up with their house directly in the way of a huge wide motorway. It's a very quick read, with only a hundred words or so, somewhat poetically presented over double-page spreads for the visuals. Without giving anything away, I wasn't too sure about the ending, and if it should be taken literally or not – I guess either way there's a moral that still stands, that says if you hold your ground a special kind of magic can occur. Three and a half stars.

Was this review helpful?

The pictures really set the stage for this beautiful story about a family of rabbits who will not sell their house. So, the developers build a road all around it and it becomes an island in the middle of concrete. The ending is a little bizarre, but the story is a great conversation starter for what makes a home. A nice group read aloud.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

A heartfelt story about a young bunny and the developers who have built around her home. Lily’s family will not sell their home but everyone else in their neighborhood has sold their home, and soon Lily’s house is the only one left. With the construction taking over her neighborhood Lily is left to deal with the new changes. This was a beautiful story about learning to adapt and being okay with the changes that are going on around you. Its a great read for kids!

Was this review helpful?

Very sweet and light story about finding hope and positivity while faced with change. Love how the color scheme changes with the story, it effectively conveys the shift in tone for those not able to read along.

Was this review helpful?

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I really loved how this story ended, because the beginning was kind of sad and depressing.

Was this review helpful?

First, the illustrations in this book are beautifully done and there is so much to see. The storyline is adorable and it's told in first person POV.

Second, this book made me extremely sad because this is exactly what is happening to me. I now live where I grew up and all the farmers around me are selling out to people who just build, build, build instead of enjoying the country as it is meant to be enjoyed.

Was this review helpful?

'This House Is Home' is a book about a bunny family who loves their home, but everything around them changes. Beautiful illustrations accompany the book, which shows how change can be scary, but that there is always hope. At first their home is in a rural area, but slowly development starts to encroach on their surroundings. This would be a good book for children who are in rapidly industrializing areas and experiencing change in their surroundings. Because the topic is a little advanced, I would recommend this for early elementary school aged children.

Thank you OwlKids Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

A touching story of a family whose house is slowly surrounded by a busy highway, young readers and listeners will love the sweet illustrations and the simple message that change will happen, but you will adapt. I read this to my four-year-old and she immediately asked to read it again. A lovely picture book.

Was this review helpful?

I received an electronic ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley.
The comforting mood for this book is set by the soft watercolor illustrations before a word is read.
Lily's family lives in a peaceful setting to start the book. Then the city begins to expand in their direction. Her family refuses to sell their home and the developers build all around them. Lily dreams about a solution to save the house and find a place of peace again. The construction workers help them load the house on a raft and the family moves via water. Readers are left to imagine where they go next.
Kerbel offers a statement on expansion and overgrowth and maintaining a quiet lifestyle. A great read aloud. Families or classes can discuss finding balance between development and rural settings.

Was this review helpful?

A comforting book for young people who are confronting change. Kerbel's word choices are precise and spare, letting the tale of facing change with optimism and resilience shine through. The illustrations are captivating and simple., and they work well with the story. After I read this, I started back at the beginning and read it again. I think kids will do the same, and they'll find the message reassuring.

Was this review helpful?

This beautifully illustrated picture book demonstrates the power of perspective in overcoming perceived obstacles. I’d definitely recommend this book to children and caregivers looking for books about resiliency and family.

Was this review helpful?

A book about change and resilience, this book highlights what home means and what it is worth. I loved the watercolor illustrations and all the details included in them.

Was this review helpful?