Coming on Home Soon [Paperback]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2005

This is a large (8 1/4" x 10 3/4") paperback book, beautifully illustrated in watercolor on Arches paper. It is wartime, and "colored women" are being hired in Chicago to fill in for the men who are off fighting. Ada Ruth is left with her grandmother while her mother takes a job washing trains. Ada Ruth watches for the postman and adopts a stray cat to fill the endless days until her mother finally writes that she will be "coming on home soon." It's a gently, almost poetically told story, and the watercolor illustrations are captivating...every time you look at one of them you see something more. I'd give this book a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10 for elementary age students, but it speaks to us older readers as well.

Product Details

• Paperback: 30 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.; 1ST edition (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439808103
• ISBN-13: 978-0439808101
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,594,016 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.