Going Home (Trophy Picture Books) [Paperback]

Eve Bunting (Author), David Diaz (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Christmas is coming and Carlos and his family are going home-driving south across the border to Mexico. But Mexico doesn't seem like home to Carlos, even though he and his sisters were born there. Can home be a place you don't really remember?

At first, La Perla doesn't seem very different from the other villages they pass through. But then Carlos is swept into the festivities by Grandfather, Aunt Ana, and the whole village. Finally, Carlos begins to understand Mama and Papa's love for the place they left behind, and realizes that home can be anywhere, because it stays in the hearts of the people who love you.

Eve Bunting and David Diaz-the Caldecott Medal-winning team behind Smoky Night- collaborated once again to create a dazzling picture book that glows with holiday joy and the spirit of Mexico.

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

"Fiesta-bright" art ignites this "joyous" tale of a Mexican American family's Christmastime trip to the parents' home in Mexico, said PW in a starred review. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064435091
• ISBN-13: 978-0064435093
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 10.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #398,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Bunting, Eve
  • #35 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Multiculturalism
  • #65 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Multiculturalism

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.