Going Home (Trophy Picture Books) [Library Binding]

Eve Bunting (Author), David Diaz (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Trophy Picture Books

On the heels of their Caldecott Medal-winning Smoky Night, Eve Bunting and David Diaz have created a dazzling new picture book that glows with holiday joy and the spirit of Mexico. Carlos and his family are going home for Christmas—across the border from California to Mexico. Mama and Papa are excited, but Carlos and his sisters are not so sure. To them, California is home now, even though they were born in Mexico. But as the family drives to their hometown through festive villages and sun-kissed landscapes, Carlos and his sisters discover there’s magic in their roots and that—whether in Mexico or California—home is where the heart is: with one’s family.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With its remarkable illustrations and its affectionate portrait of a migrant family, Eve Bunting's latest book is a jewel. Carlos, his parents, and his sisters visit the family village in Mexico. Mama and Papa are very excited, but the kids don't know what all the fuss is about. If they really love Mexico, what could be the point of leaving for America just for "opportunities"?

As they watch their parents with the family, and sneak a peek at the two of them dancing in the moonlight to a song only they can hear, Carlos understands. "They love it here because it's home. They have left home for us." With clarity, warmth, and very few words, Bunting has explained those ever-new American dreamers to yet another generation. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Diaz's fiesta-bright artwork ignites this joyous tale of a Mexican American family's sentimental journey. For the parents, the Christmastime trip to their Mexican home means a longed-for reunion with family and friends; for their son Carlos and his sisters, the trip is a big unknown: although they were born in Mexico, they don't remember it?their parents moved the family to California "for the opportunities," and work long, hot days harvesting crops while their children go to school. "Home is here," Carlos's mother tells him as they pack. "But it is there, too." By journey's end, Carlos has a better understanding not only of "home," but also of his parents, and of the depth of their sacrifice. Bunting's eloquent prose gracefully defines the story's rich mix of emotions, and her descriptions of rural Mexico are both earthy and reverent: "Sometimes we have to go slowly because there are sheep on the road, sheep thick with their winter wool." The fiery colors and bold lines of Diaz's woodcut-like illustrations lend a strength and nobility to these scenes. Employing the same mixed-media technique used so effectively in the Caldecott-winning Smoky Night, his previous outing with Bunting, he sets his artwork within photographic backdrops that show gaily painted pottery, folk art figurines, Mexican Christmas decorations, festive flowers and other shiny holiday trinkets. A veritable feast for the eyes, this South-of-the-border treat stirs the soul as well. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books; 1st edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060262974
• ISBN-13: 978-0060262976
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,112,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, June 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Going Home (Trophy Picture Books) (Hardcover)

This book is very touching...it sensitively portrays the sacrafices Mexican immigrants have to make to move to America for their children to have a better life. Very well done themes of parental love, long car trips, the sadness of leaving one's home country, sibling realtionships, husband and wife being romantic (tasteful and age-appropriate), and a child's growing understanding of the complexities of life. Buy and read it to every child (and adult) you know.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eve Bunting and David Diaz do it again!, July 6, 2001

By 

Faith M. Philpott (Massillon, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Home (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

Eve Bunting takes her readers on journey with a Mexican family going home for Christmas. The text she uses is elegantly written. Through the feelings expressed by Carlos and his family you get a real sense of the Mexican culture and the importance of family. David Diaz's illustrations lead you into the journey with Carlos and his family. With the use of collaged background and inset illustrations the pages come alive. The text of Bunting and the illustrations of Diaz give you the sense of being there. This is a book that a child of any age would enjoy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book for children and adults, November 27, 2006

By 

madbee (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Home (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

Eve Bunting's books have a wisdom that transcends their simple stories. As an ESL teacher and a teacher in classes with immigrant students, I have often shared this book with middle school students and adults. In a brief and poetic narrative, it tells the universal story of parents sacrificing so their children will have a better life, through the eyes of a child. The adults in my ESL classes love it and take it home to read to their children.