Coming On Home Soon [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author), E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Caldecott Honor Book

Ada Ruth's mama must go away to Chicago to work, leaving Ada Ruth and Grandma behind. It's war time, and women are needed to fill the men's jobs. As winter sets in, Ada Ruth and her grandma keep up their daily routine, missing Mama all the time. They find strength in each other, and a stray kitten even arrives one day to keep them company, but nothing can fill the hole Mama left. Every day they wait, watching for the letter that says Mama will be coming on home soon. Set during World War II, Coming On Home Soon has a timeless quality that will appeal to all who wait and hope.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3–A beautifully written and illustrated story from the creators of The Other Side (Putnam, 2001), set during World War II. Ada Ruth waits for the return of her mother, who left home in search of a job. "They're hiring colored women in Chicago since all the men are off fighting in the war." Perfectly matched words and illustrations masterfully bring to life all the emotions that the girl is experiencing as she, her grandmother, and a stray kitten that has come to stay all try to comfort and console one another. As snow continues to fall, the large watercolor pages are filled with scenes of wistful longing–looking out the window, bringing in firewood, giving the kitten some milk, knitting, listening to news on the radio, and capturing the disappointment when the postman passes without stopping. Finally, a letter arrives and, with it, some much-needed money. The first line of the letter reads, "Tell Ada Ruth I'll be coming on home soon." Now, images convey a warm sense of anticipation. The final painting shows a woman with her back to readers approaching a house… home. A tender, heartfelt story that will touch readers.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* K-Gr. 3. As in their award-winning picture book The Other Side (2001), Woodson and Lewis tell a moving historical story of longing and separation. The setting here is the home front during World War II, and Ada Ruth's mama leaves to find work in the city ("They're hiring colored women in Chicago since all the men are off fighting in the war"). At home with Grandma, Ada Ruth holds on to memories of Mama's love and writes to her. Times are hard, and for a long time "no letter or money coming." Ada Ruth takes in a stray kitten, and even though Grandma says they can't keep it, Ada Ruth does, and its purring softness is big and warm on her lap. The race, class, and gender struggle is part of the larger drama ("A colored woman working on the railroad!"), but for Ada Ruth, it's the waiting, quietly expressed in her simple, poetic first-person narrative. Lewis' beautiful watercolors establish the setting, not the South this time, but a spacious rural landscape with snow and icy storms, and inside, the loving portrayals of the women in warm, neat rooms with an empty chair. Period and place are wonderfully specific; the yearning is timeless. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; First Edition edition (October 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399237488
• ISBN-13: 978-0399237485
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson's awards include 3 Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and 3 Coretta Scott King Honors, 2 National Book Awards, a Margaret A. Edwards Award and an ALAN Award -- both for Lifetime Achievement in YA Literature. She is the author of more than 2 dozen books for children and young adults and lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's no place like it, March 22, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coming On Home Soon (Hardcover)

There it is again. That old familiar cynicism that comes when I see a virtually unknown book win a prestigious award. In this particular case I'm referring to "Coming On Home Soon" by Jacqueline Woodson. A touching intimate portrait of a girl suffering a separation from her parent, the book won the enviable Caldecott Honor. So does it deserve it? Which is to say, does it deserve to be remembered, in some part, for decades to come? Well, let's just say that my cynical first viewing of the story revealed this to be a surprisingly sensitive picture book. This is one of those perfect meldings of picture and language. A truly touching and lovely work to enjoy.

In the midst of World War II, black women have an unprecedented chance to work various jobs up North in Chicago while the men are away fighting. So Ada Ruth's mama is off to take a chance. She's leaving her daughter with Grandma and will be back when she's made enough money for the three of them. This is hard on her little daughter but she writes regularly to her mother and hopes for the best. She even finds a kitten to adopt, though Grandma keeps telling her not to get too attached to it. Through the rain, then the snow, as the months pass and time goes by Ada Ruth keeps track of the time and is finally rewarded, one day, with a most precious letter.

It's odd for me to write out the plot of the story. Having read through it, I was under the distinct impression that it was a deeply involved story. And to some extent, it is. But it's not easy to summarize. Maybe that's because Woodson's prose is so deft and practical. She peppers the story with emotional moments and unconscious details of what it was like to live in the past. There are gutsy choices in the text as well. In one two-page spread we see Ada Ruth lying on her side with her kitten and just two little words, "Time passes". There's a sentimentality here that never becomes cloying or too cute. This is an author who has figured out how to be touching without striking a single dishonest chord. If you find yourself unaccountably moved by the end, it really shouldn't strike you as peculiar, considering the Woodson's talent.

And of course there are the illustrations of E.B.... (no, not the "Charlotte's Web" author) to contend with. This entire story could be defined simply through White's use of light. When mama is preparing to leave, it's raining outside, giving the scene a damp chill glow. When Ada and grandma are walking outside in the snow, the overcast sky dapples everything a uniform gray. And when Ada sits at her little table with a comforting cup of hot cocoa and two biscuits before her, the sunlight through the window is bright and cheery. But my favorite image in the book is the last. Though we never see the tearful reunion between mama and her relatives, the last picture shows her approaching the run down but sturdy home in the snow. There's something about the house and the setting and the small figure of mama that I am certain will be deeply burned into many a youngster's brain for years and years to come. It's the happy ending they'll all want, but within a shockingly realistic setting.

So a big round of applause to the Caldecott committee for selecting this lovely little winner. If you're looking for a picture book of historical fiction, I can think of no better tale than the winning, "Coming On Home Soon". As enjoyable to read as it is stunning to page through. A true bit of picture book class.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming On Home Soon-to teach with!, July 5, 2005

By 

Mrs. C "love to read...teacher and mom" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming On Home Soon (Hardcover)

I purchased this book because The Other Side is by far my favorite book to teach my elementary students with. We read it at least five times a year and each time we are able to gain a deeper understanding. Jacqueline Woodson and her illustrator have created another book I will use over and over. Coming On Home Soon is a great story that will allow me to discuss history, letter writing and many comprehension strategies with my students!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Moving, February 1, 2005

By 

Abkdeghilmnngoprstuwy (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming On Home Soon (Hardcover)

Gorgeously illustrated, beautifully and simply narrated, effectively conveys the emotions of the lead character, captures the everyday life of women of color during World War II.