A HOME AGAIN, by Colleen Rowan Kosinski and Valeria Docampo, Two Lions, Nov. 1, 2021, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 3-7)
Learn the difference between a house and a home in A Home Again, by Colleen Rowan Kosinski and Valeria Docampo.
After the last brick is laid, a family moves into a brand-new house. As the family grows, the house delights in the sound of laughter echoing in its halls and the pitter-patter of little feet traversing its floors and realizes it is no longer just a house. It has become a home ― their home. One day, the family packs up, and with tears in their eyes, they say goodbye. The house doesn’t know if it can ever be happy again until two men appear. It begins to feel a sliver of hope about this new family… perhaps it can become a home once more. —Synopsis provided by Two Lions
A Home Again calls to mind Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House, which also follows a house through different stages of ownership and repair. However, A Home Again runs the risk of appealing more to adults than children. This nostalgic look at families is gentle and sweet and feels like a grownup’s remembrance.
That’s not to say the A Home Again won’t hit the mark with kids. Children will be drawn in by the lush acrylic and colored pencil art and the house’s different moods. It’s also a good choice for families that are planning a move and need to settle some nerves about a new atmosphere.
A Home Again celebrates both traditional and nontraditional families, showing how love comes in all forms. I’ve read some review complaining that the book pushes a LGBTQ agenda, but it doesn’t. Most kids understand that all families are different and this book just reinforces that.
Colleen Rowan Kosinski is the author-illustrator of Lilla’s Sunflowers and A Promise Stitched in Time. She received her BA from Rutgers University in visual art, is an alumna of Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art, and spent many years as a successful freelance fine artist. Colleen calls New Jersey her home and resides there with her family. Learn more at colleenrowankosinski.com on Facebook: Colleen Rowan Rosinski, Twitter: @ColleenKosinski and Instagram: @colleenkosinski.
Valeria Docampo has a background in fine arts and has also been a teacher. She is the illustrator of many books for publishers around the world, including La Grande Fabrique de Mots, which has been translated into thirty languages. Originally from Argentina, she now makes her home in France with her family. Learn more at valeriadocampo.com on Facebook: Valeria Docampo, Twitter: DocampoValeria and Instagram: @valeriadocampo.
