Coming Home

Ruth, G. (2014). Coming Home. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Lexile Score: N/A

Summary: This is a very raw and emotional book that is about a young boy who is at the airport waiting for his mom who is coming home from war. Before he finds his mother, he first sees everybody else’s emotional return, and hopes to find his mom as soon as possible.

Evaluation: This story is definitely a tear jerker because it is based on a true story. Many children go through exactly what this young boy goes through every day. It’s a reality. The book is high quality literature because of the illustrations.  They’re perfect for children’s view and makes the story more relatable by showing what it feels like to be so small and to feel like a small fish in a big ocean just trying to find your mother.

This story really doesn’t have any stereotypes. If anything, the story breaks those barriers completely by having a female coming home from war, which is occurring more and more in the 21^st century. Therefore, it’s a true depiction of what it’s really like outside of the book. I also know this based on the copyright date since it was published in 2014. It is a very relevant and relatable story.

The storyline is what truly tugs at my emotions, along with the illustrations. To see how happy the young child is to see his mother shows how much he’s missed her. This book makes you feel those exact emotions. It is the definition of a powerful book.

Literary Elements: Tone- At first it’s anxious while the boy is looking around to find his mom, but then it turns joyful when he is finally able to find her.

 Illustrations: The illustrations bring the story to life and allow students to feel what the boy is feeling, especially since there are few words throughout the book.

Word choice- The author carefully chose words like ‘sheesh’ and ‘waiting’ to mainly focus on the emotions and what the boy sees rather than says.

Mini lesson: I would have my students focus on the word choice. I would go through each page and ask my students what other words could be substituted instead of the words the author used.

Target Audience: PreK-5^th grade because any child with a parent, relative or friend in the armed services can relate to this story.