Going Down Home with Daddy

Interest Level: K-3

Have you ever gone to a family reunion? Family is the most important thing and in this book family is important to Lil Alan too! Lil Alan and his family drive to Granny's house to have a good time with Granny, aunts, uncles, and cousins. However, Lil Alan has one big problem - he has nothing for celebration time. His Sis is going to sing Granny's favorite song, one of his cousins is going to read a poem, another cousin made a scrapbook out of Granny's favorite color, but Lil Alan? He has nothing. The family eats, goes to church, and has a great time. Then it is celebration time. What will Lil Alan do? Will he disappoint Granny and the family? Or will he come up with something spectacular? Read this incredible book to find out what happens!

This book is absolutely fantastic! The illustrations are beautiful and the colors are incredible! The story itself is so heartwarming! I want so bad to be a part of this family and share in their love and heritage (and eat some of that scrumptiously yummy food!). Do not miss this breathtaking book about love and family!!

Going Down Home with Daddy is a lovely celebration of family and African-American culture. Lil Alan and his family travel south every year for a family reunion on his great-grandmother's land. He and his sister spend time with their cousins. Everyone eats delicious-sounding food. And it's a tradition for the children to offer some kind of gift: a song, a poem, a story. Lil Alan isn't sure what he wants to do, and as the day of the celebration approaches, he worries that he won't have anything to contribute. But when he looks around him and sees the history of the place, he comes up with a fitting tribute to his family and his history.

This is a little text-heavy for a picture book, so I would probably recommend it to older kids. That said, however, the story is simple enough for younger children to enjoy, too. The illustrations really make this book shine. The stylized drawings are combined with inky overlays to create a really unique look. Even on the pages where everything is done in monochromatic blues, I noticed that the people's irises are still brown, which I thought was a neat touch; everything about the illustrations celebrates the interesting culture and heritage of this African-American family.