All the things that home is and provides are celebrated in this warm, uplifting picture book. Starring a cuddly bear – big but clearly a youngster - and assorted animal friends, it explains abstract ideas, such as feeling out of place or uncertain, in ways that young children will understand and which will be very reassuring, because ‘home’ is always there, allowing you to grow, explore emotions, and helping you be ‘the best that I can be’.
The text rhymes, regular use of the word ‘home’ providing a gentle, repetitive beat. The illustrations by Klaus Flugge Prize shortlistee Alice Courtley are really special, a vibrant palette creating vivid and varied landscapes, from a busy city to a lakeside picnic site, and a gorgeous nighttime scene, lit by lanterns. This is one to win a place in readers’ hearts.
Award-winning Smriti Halls presents this heartwarming tale that teaches us that home is always in your heart. What does home mean to you? Home is where you're known, understood and where you can truly be yourself. But is home a place, or is it a feeling? Following Bear's journey far from home and back again, you will see that home is not one place, it's the people who love you. And most importantly, you can hold it with you wherever you go.
Smriti Halls is the international bestselling author of I Love You Night and Day and Don't Call Me Sweet both published by Bloomsbury. Before becoming a full time writer in 2012, she worked in children's publishing and television. She lives in London with her husband and three children, reading, writing and eating avocado pears.Read the author's Q&A here.
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