Description: "Homesick has the feel of a classic--a warmhearted, reassuring tale that will prepare young readers for early adventures and welcome them back home as well."--BookPage (starred review)
School's First Day of School meets The Little House in this innovative and heartfelt take on a child's first time sleeping away from home. Poppy can't wait to sleep over at G-Pa and Mimi's house for the first time ever. She'll bake bread and gather pinecones and read all the books on their shelves. But Home? Home feels sick with missing her! Everything is hushed and empty without Poppy. Can Home find distractions to occupy the time until she comes back? And with all the fun she's having, will Poppy start to miss Home, too? Seasoned children's book creators Liz Garton Scanlon, Audrey Vernick, and Daniel Miyares bring threefold brilliance to Homesick, an unforgettable flip on the script of a timeless childhood milestone. Young readers with mixed feelings about being away from home with find soothing levity on each page.Review Quotes: With grace and conviction, this empathic split narrative from Vernick and Garton Scanlon (coauthors of The Family Tree) and illustrator Miyares (Nell Plants a Tree) takes a feeling children carry in their bones--that a beloved object misses them when they're away--and extends it to an entire building. . . . [A]n inventive, emotionally attuned meditation on attachment.
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Mimi's gentle reminder that adventures can be enjoyed because home will always be waiting provides a comforting message for young readers. The illustrations are particularly powerful in reinforcing the emotional arc of the story. . . . With a relatable exploration of separation anxiety and visually resonant storytelling, this is a highly recommended addition for libraries serving young children.
--Booklist (starred review) This will surely tug on parents' heartstrings as they watch their youngsters head off into the wide world, but it is a sweet, visually gorgeous illustration of the old adage that home is where the heart is.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) Daniel Miyares' gouache and ink illustrations have a certain old-fashioned timelessness to them--practically grandmotherly--in every good sense of the word. He nicely varies their pace as well. . . . He beautifully saturates his illustrations with distinctive colors that reflect the story's disparate moods. . . . Homesick has the feel of a classic--a warmhearted, reassuring tale that will prepare young readers for early adventures and welcome them back home as well.
--BookPage (starred review) Miyares's artwork perfectly pairs with this story. The black-and-white drawings overlaid with colors to match the mood of the page help young readers effectively visualize the text's emotions. . . . A first-choice picture book for any library.
--School Library Journal