My home is in my backpack

A family's forced migration prompts a new way of seeing home in this sensitively rendered tale of change from Perrella and Salerno. High on a hill at night, young narrator Clara sits with Papá, Mamá, brother Pedro, and dog Coco, watching for shooting stars. When the children's parents explain that the family is leaving the next day, Clara isn't surprised--relatives and acquaintances have already gone, and "I knew that one day we would, too." At dawn, the family joins a long queue of people walking with bedrolls and backpacks ("I carry Coco... and I tell her that I will always look after her"). During a journey that involves "a hiding game" and transport by boat, Papá asks, "Do you know that our home is always with us?... it is made from the people we love and the things we love doing." As Clara becomes aware of the home that is "here right now" ("family, Coco, drawing, and thinking about my best memories"), the child asks others about what they love. Via a restrained palette of blues, golds, and greens, arresting graphite and digital illustrations communicate the passage of time (initially clean-shaven Papá's face fills in with a beard), while visually emphasizing, through thin, etching-like lines that overlay the book's scenes, "the invisible things" the travelers "carry in their hearts." A note concludes. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--7. (Oct.)

A child's understanding of home evolves during a Latine migrant family's journey to safety. In this translated import from Chile, written by Argentinian author and journalist Perrella, Papá, Mamá, big brother Pedro, Coco the dog, and narrator Clara follow the many others who have already left their unspecified home country. Joining a stream of travelers, the family traverses a rural tropical landscape by foot and rowboat, hiding from guards and sleeping in a tent. Papá reassuringly reminds them that, while they've left their house behind, "ourhome is special: it is made from the people we love and the things that we love doing," prompting Clara to engage with other children. Drawing pictures of what's special to them--Sofía's fireflies, Tomás' dominoes--heightens Clara's awareness of "the invisible things they carry in their hearts." This gentle story, which highlights natural beauty and children's engagement with their immediate world, is an age-appropriate introduction to complex, traumatic events. Salerno's delicate graphite pencil illustrations feature a rosy palette that reflects the narrative's warmth, complementing Polson's smooth, readable translation. Thoughtful touches add richness and depth, such as outlines of imagined items and notebook sketches that appear superimposed on real objects as well as two-page spreads at the beginning and end that mirror one another, with small differences indicating the passage of time. Both poignant and buoyant: a touching tribute to love and the endurance of the human spirit. (creators' note)(Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.