homes

4 Diverse New Picture Books That Invite You Home

| Tasha
Book cover for The Blue House I Loved by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jen Shin. A young Hmong girl in a blue dress and sandals walks in front of a blue house with lit windows. Other children play in the background.

The Blue House I Loved by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jen Shin

  • Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
  • Publication Date: February 10, 2026
  • Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher
  • ISBN: 9781517907976

In St. Paul, Minnesota, there was a blue house that was loved. The two-story house was a duplex where the first floor was rented to Hmong refugees. The house was rented by the narrator’s aunt and uncle and was not big enough for their family. Two cousins had to sleep on the unheated porch where their wet hair froze in the winter. The bedrooms were filled with others, sleeping three and four to a room. The narrator’s favorite place was the back porch where her aunt breastfed the baby and the cousins played and fought. It was the place they learned about their new country while also keeping Hmong traditions close. It was a special house filled with memories.

As always, Yang’s writing is a gorgeous combination of frankness and found beauty. Her ability to paint a vivid picture of the house using small details bring the entire book to life. It’s those small moments that make a life, a house and a family and the book shows that so touchingly. Yang also speaks to the importance of a home for a refugee family newly in America and what it meant to have the space however crowded and cramped. Shin’s art is a lovely mix of architecture and people, showing both the house and the family with clarity and joy.

A journey into refugee memory. Appropriate for ages 4-8.

The book cover for Here Come the Aunties! By Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Aphelandra. A young Muscogee child stands with his hands up and a big smile in front of a group of diverse women of all ages who are smiling over his shoulder.

Here Come the Aunties! By Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Aphelandra

  • Publisher: Heartdrum
  • Publication Date: February 10, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9780063374690

River is Muscogee and lives on a reservation in Oklahoma. He has many aunties who appear throughout the year. Using repeating language to introduce each auntie, the book celebrates the skills and efforts of each of them. Auntie Abby helps with planting the garden. Auntie Meg takes River fishing for catfish. Auntie Dana brings pumpkins in the fall. Auntie Patrice teaches beading. Other aunties share Muscogee history and traditions or teach in school. As River welcomes his new little sister, he knows first that the aunties are coming!

Smith captures the beauty of community in this picture book about living on a reservation where not only Native people live but others of different backgrounds, all of whom can be aunties. In her Author Note, she explains that aunties can be relatives but don’t have to be. Aphelandra’s illustrations are done in ink, gouache and PhotoShop. They are a delightful mix of deep rich paint, cleverly drawn faces and incredible warmth. 

A joyous look at Muscogee community. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Book cover for Main Street: A Community Story about Redlining by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell, illustrated by David Wilkerson. A young Black girl rides her bicycle down a city street with people in the background walking.

Main Street: A Community Story about Redlining by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell, illustrated by David Wilkerson

  • Publisher: Kokila
  • Publication Date: January 27, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9798217002672

Olivia tries to invite her friends to her neighborhood block party, but one girl explains that her mother doesn’t think Main Street is safe. Olivia tells her mother about what happened and then watches as the neighborhood they are driving through changes from large homes to the tighter urban Main Street neighborhood. When she explains to a neighbor that she doesn’t want to live there any more, Ms. Effie tells her that the first time she heard that Main Street wasn’t a good neighborhood was when the bank refused their mortgage. The Black neighborhood banded together, people got second jobs, and everyone learned how to save. Ms. Effie shared a map of the city with red lines around the “rough” neighborhoods and blue and green in the wealthier white neighborhoods. Through the conversation Olivia learned that it’s important not to believe what people say and to celebrate her community.

I haven’t seen any other picture book take on the subject of redlining, a process that devalues Black neighborhoods and impacts overall investment in them. Here the subject is explained in a way that young children will understand, both in fear of the dangers of those neighborhoods and in a celebration of the community that continues. The facts about redlining are shared openly and clearly. The illustrations help emphasize what lack of investment does and also how vibrant a community can be despite those systemic abuses. 

A look at a complex socio-economic process in a way children can comprehend. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

A book cover for Under One Roof by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. Shows a group of houses with people at the windows surrounded by clouds under a starry night sky with a moon and an owl flying.

Under One Roof by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

  • Publisher: Clarion Books
  • Publication Date: February 3, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9780358576594

Told in rhyming couplets, this picture book celebrates all sorts of families and how they get ready for bedtime. Everyone falls asleep under the same roof of night sky, stars and moon. Some families are all together, others are snuggling in pillow forts at grandma’s, some live far apart or have family members who have died. Some stay connected via phones, others via letters. Some had to leave their homes because of storms, others camp outdoors. Some greet new babies, others sleep in their cars. Through it all, the sky remains the roof they are all beneath.

The writing is very inviting with the rhymes serving as a way to tie all the diverse families together into one story. The use of the image of the sky as a comforting roof above all is also very nicely kept as a focus throughout the story. The result is a book filled with warmth and inclusivity. The illustrations echo that same feel as they show diverse families, large and small, nuclear and otherwise experiencing a variety of homes and beds. In their author’s and illustrator’s notes, the creators share their own life experiences moving and changing where they sleep.

The perfect bedtime read for those who travel and those who stay. Appropriate for ages 2-5.

2 Helpful New Picture Books about Homes

| Tasha

The Moving Book by Lisa Brown

Publisher: Neal Porter Books

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

Reviewed from library copy

ISBN: 9780823457182

The author of The Airport Book and The Hospital Book returns with another book about a turning point in a child’s life. Told by an older sibling, the book shares a list of the places that their family has lived in. Before the younger sister was born, they lived in a tiny apartment with their grandfather downstairs. They moved to a tall apartment building with lots of stairs. Next came a larger apartment in a building with elevators near the museum. Finally, their current house where they had their own bedrooms. Now it’s time for another move, this time to a place with their grandfather. 

Brown captures something I rarely see in picture books, the fact that many families move multiple times as children grow up. Each of the places they lived had something special about it from a child’s point of view: a great playground, warm bagels, a nearby museum, a grandparent right next door. The illustrations capture the packing and unpacking of boxes, the search for favorite toys, and the family working together no matter where they live. 

A warm and lovely look at more than one move. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Song for Two Homes by Dr. Michael Datcher and Charly Palmer 

Publisher: Random House Studio

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9780593429365

When Auset’s parents divorce, her world splits into two. Happily, she has Sweet Honey in the Rock and Bob Marley to help her. Auset tries going to a therapist, but finds her stuffed dolphin a much better listener. Auset is doing OK at school, keeping up appearances and not showing how hurt and angry she is. Except that one time when she hit a kid at school and made him cry. Auset doesn’t tell her mother the truth, pretending to be OK. Luckily she can talk to her dad more honestly. It takes a lot of songs, love and honesty to try to get through suddenly having two homes.

Told in verse, this picture book beautifully shares the emotions of having parents divorce and the direct impact it has on a child. Auset is wonderfully both herself and also speaks universally of the journey involved in divorce and loss. The use of verse captures emotions and relationships, struggles and triumphs. The acrylic art is vibrant and depicts Auset’s feelings clearly. 

A moving picture book about divorce and families. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Goodbye Old House by Margaret Wild

| Tasha
Cover image for Goodbye, Old House.

Goodbye, Old House by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Ann James (9781736226452)

A child knows they are moving, so proceeds to say goodbye to their old home. It’s the last time they will fish in the river, the last time to run through the trees, the last time to pet this pony. It’s the last time to lay by this fire, the last time to sleep in this house. They say goodbye to each room from the hall, leaving a message for the new owners on the wall. Then it’s time for a lot of first moments. The first time to jump over these cracks, the first time to push open the gate, and the first time entering the new house. They say hello to all of the new rooms from the hall. They discover a window seat in their new room, complete with a message from the previous child who lived there.

Wild is a master storyteller. In this picture book she takes very simple lines of farewell and discovery and turns them into a story that is immensely poignant. The angst of moving, of losing all the beloved elements of your life comes full circle here as the child celebrates the current moment of firsts and hellos to their new home. The text is utter simplicity, allowing the emotions to come through without being described at all.

The illustrations by James are captivating. She shows the androgynous child and their homes in stark black and white with engaging expressions and body language. Beyond the windows of the homes and outside, the world is awash is color from the watercolor of the flowing river to the sun on the hills to the orangey tones of the new home.

A moving book that takes time to deal with goodbyes but also celebrates new discoveries too. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Blue Dot Kids Press.

Welcome to My House by Gaia Stella

| Tasha

Welcome to My House by Gaia Stella

Welcome to My House by Gaia Stella (9781452157924, Amazon)

Olga, a friendly black cat, leads readers through her home. She shows all of the objects in the house in a variety of categories. There is everything for sitting that includes a stool, chairs, and even a stack of books. Everything that brightens has candles, lamps, and a window. The lists continue with images of each item and a name. Everything that passes the time includes games but also brother and sister. While this is a look at the objects in a home, it also speaks to the various roles that the people in a home can have.

Originally published in France, this picture book has a distinct European feel. Stella presents a simple premise of a book that becomes more complex as readers look more closely at the items included in each category. There are some lists that are unusual like everything that shows time passing and everything for warming up that include unlikely items. This picture book shows categorizing items and also teaches words so it has many uses for young readers.

The illustrations are done in a simple and bold style that offers just enough detail to identify objects clearly but avoids being fussy or too crowded on the page. Readers will enjoy discovering that Olga is a cat, something that explains the sorts of things that make her list and are distinctly from a cat’s point of view.

A book that will have readers exploring the pages closely and inventing their own categories in their homes. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle.

 

Review: Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc

| Tasha

Mr Postmouses Rounds by Marianne Dubuc

Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc

Released August 1, 2015.

On Monday morning, Mr. Postmouse loads up his wagon to delivery the mail. He goes from one home to the next, delivering packages that suit the needs of each recipient. There is a huge carrot-shaped package for the rabbits, nuts for Mr. Squirrel, a fancy shovel for Mrs. Mole, and some sweets for the ants. Each animal has a unique home from the long, long home filled with heat lamps for Mr. Snake to the watery home of the crocodiles and the underwater home of Mrs. Octopus. Each animal has a habitat and a space that is filled with details that children will love to take a close look at. This engaging look at the postal system is also a beginning way to talk about animals and their homes.

This French Canadian import has limited text, offering just enough to identify the animals and contents of some of their packages. The real delight here are the illustrations, filled with whimsy and detail, they offer a glimpse into a storybook world of animals and their homes. Drawn with fine lines, the illustrations have all of the detail of Richard Scarry with a modern feel. There are stories within the larger one, where a bird is wanted for theft, pigs are saving sheep from the wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks appear.

This is a book to sit and pore over, enjoying the details and making up stories about the homes that you can see inside. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.

Review: Room for Bear by Ciara Gavin

| Tasha

room for bear

Room for Bear by Ciara Gavin (In InfoSoup)

Bear visited the Duck family one spring and then never left. He fit in perfectly in many ways, except for their house which was not designed for someone Bear’s size. So Bear set off in search of a perfect space for all of them. But it was hard to find a place that worked. Places that fit Bear perfectly did not work for the Ducks. Where the Ducks were happy, Bear was not. Then Bear thought that maybe it was because HE did not fit in with the Ducks after all, so he went away to find a home just for him. The Ducks missed Bear horribly, and Bear missed the Ducks. Finally, Bear found just the right huge cave for himself and then came up with a clever Duck-sized solution that would let them all live together happily.

This picture book is about families and what makes a family. Told from the point of view of animals, it speaks beyond cultures and skin color to a feeling where differences in general are embraced and honored. At the same time, the book honors the feeling a person can have of fitting in just fine sometimes and in other situations feeling that they are an outsider. These complex feelings are caught on the page without over dramatizing them. The result is a book the embraces adoptive and blended families of all sorts without making the picture too rosy and uncomplicated.

Gavin’s illustrations are done with a whimsical sense of humor. From Bear trying to fit into a tiny and tippy Duck boat as a home to the unhappy Ducks sitting around the table forlornly missing Bear, she captures emotions clearly on the page as well as the dilemmas of differences. The illustrations are softly painted with fine ink lines that allow both the big bear and small ducks to have personality galore.

A winning read that speaks to all families and particularly adoptive and blended families. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Monday, Wednesday, and Every Other Weekend by Karen Stanton

| Tasha

monday wednesday and every other weekend

Monday, Wednesday, and Every Other Weekend by Karen Stanton

Henry and his dog, Pomegranate, live in two different houses.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and every other weekend, he lives with his mother on Flower Street.  On Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other weekend, he lives with his father two blocks away on Woolsey Avenue.  The two houses are very different.  They smell different, look different, sound different and even taste different.  Pomegranate though is never truly happy at either house.  He wants to be somewhere else.  Then one day, Pomegranate gets out and runs away.  Henry and his father head to Flower Street to see if he is with Henry’s mother, but no Pomegranate.  Then Henry realizes where Pomegranate must be and heads straight to the house where his family used to live all together.  Now a little girl lives there and she has Pomegranate with her! 

This book has such a strong heart.  Stanton clearly shows the differences between the two homes that Henry lives in.  The different neighborhoods, the different foods, the different sounds.  Both homes are beautiful, both are filled with love for Henry.  Stanton’s clever use of Pomegranate as the expression of the emotions involved in a divorce is well done.  She manages to allow Henry to be well adjusted and happy while still dealing with the complex emotions that divorce elicits.

The art is charming and wonderfully loud.  Done in collage mixed with painting, the colors shine on the page.  She makes sure to show the elements that make up life in each house, showing again the differences but also the similarities in the homes.

A memorable book on divorce for children, even children who have not experienced divorce themselves will enjoy this engaging title.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel & Friends.

Review: Baby Bear by Kadir Nelson

| Tasha

baby bear

Baby Bear by Kadir Nelson

Nelson returns with a picture book about a lost baby bear that showcases his luminous art work.  Baby Bear is lost and can’t find his way back home.  So he asks different animals about how to find his home again.  Mountain Lion suggests that he figure out how he got here.  Frog is rather busy, but tells Baby Bear not to be frightened.  The Squirrels suggest that he hug a tree.  Moose tells Baby Bear to listen to his heart.  Owl reassures him and Ram encourages him to climb high and keep walking.  Finally, Salmon leads him across the river and Baby Bear is home. 

Nelson writes with the tone of a folktale, a measured pace and a strong structure of questions and answers.  Told entirely in dialogue between the animals, the setting and action is left to the gorgeous illustrations to explain.  My favorite moment is the ending of the book where there is no family to meet Baby Bear, no structure of “home” for him to return to, just an understanding and a pure moment of realization that he IS home. 

Nelson’s art is stunningly lovely.  He uses light and perspective to really show the story.  We see Baby Bear from different angles, one amazing double-page spread just has a close up of his eyes with the moon reflected in them.  Each page is a treat visually, each building to that moment of already being home.

Shimmering and lush, this picture book will open discussions about what home is, mindfulness and following one’s heart.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh

| Tasha

living with mom and living with dad

Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh

This picture book takes a look at divorce in a way that is appropriate for very young children.  It focuses on living in two separate homes and what happens to the things a child holds dear and to their family.  Using flaps to invite young listeners to participate in the story, children will be able to explore the differences, including different nightlights, changes in how a child is picked up from school, and trips with each parent.  Nicely, the book also explores what happens for special events and birthdays and how the parents attend but separately.  There is no negative emotion here, just a matter-of-fact book that answers the questions that children will have about their every day life. 

Walsh has created a book that will be of particular help in both families going through a divorce and for children who have questions in general about divorce.  The lack of emotion gives the book some distance from the situation, yet it manages to answer all of the nuts and bolts details that children fret about. 

Walsh’s art is flat and friendly.  The book is populated by bright colors, cheery flaps and a friendly outlook.  All of this in a book about divorce.  And it manages to work and work well.

A good choice for the youngest of children who are thinking about divorce, this book is a welcome addition to library shelves.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.