“What is home? When you hear the word “home” what comes to your mind?”
That’s how I opened this read aloud to this group of 2nd graders. Little by little, hands starting to go up and words started filling the classroom. “Home is my mom”. “Home is eating pancakes on Saturdays” “Home is my Dog. He watches our home everyday”. “Home is when dad comes back from work” “Home is far away”. “At home we speak Gujarati”
As I listened to their answers, it is clear that the meaning of home is different for everyone. And the author of Home is a Window, Stephanie Parsely, would agree. This is in fact, the message she conveys in this beautiful picture book. Home means different things for everyone. And sometimes we leave a home behind and create a new one in a new place. This is the story a beautiful family as they close a chapter in their home and prepare to transition in a new one. The beautiful illustration by Chris Sasaki is such a wonderful addition to the story line.
Home is a Window is a perfect pairing with the book I shared last month, A New Home by Tania de Regil. If you missed the post, you can read it here.
Happy reading as you discover what home means to the students in your classroom community!
