The Homesick Club
Author: Libby Martinez
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon
Groundwood Books
Grade level: P-2, Ages: 3-7
When their new teacher arrives from Texas, with a southern drawl and a gentle manner, Mónica and Hannah realize adults have the same big feelings of loss and heartache that children do.
Mónica and Hannah have a new teacher, Miss Shelby, and they have more in common with her than they think. Mónica is from Bolivia, and misses her grandmother, and the hummingbirds they fed together in the backyard. Hanna is from Israel, and misses the way the wind whooshes through the desert, and the tortoise that lived in the sand dunes outside her house. Together, Mónica and Hannah form the Homesick Club, and sit together at lunch. When their new teacher arrives from Texas, with a southern drawl and a gentle manner, Mónica and Hannah realize adults have the same big feelings of loss and heartache that children do.
Mrs. Jackson told Miss Shelby that we are learning all about the stars. Miss Shelby tells us about the Big Dipper and Orion the Hunter.
“Where I lived in Texas,” she says, “the sky was sooooo big and wide you could see the shapes of animals in the stars.“
“The sky was big and wide in Bolivia, too. Sometimes I tried to count all of the stars. It’s hard to see the stars here because of the tall buildings and bright lights. I wonder if Miss Shelby misses the stars like I do.”
This sweet book, with compassionate, tender text by Libby Martinez, and appealing, naive illustrations by Rebecca Gibbon teaches empathy and concern in a quiet, non-preachy way. The sentiment is as lovely as the colorful illustrations. This book is a no-brainer to add to your classroom or at-home library.
The Homesick Club (Support an Independent Bookstore)
The Homesick Club (Hardcover at Amazon)*
More books for this Age Group can be found here.
Please, leave comments! I love a HEALTHY exchange of ideas. After all, critical thinking is essential to life.
My thanks to Groundwood Books for providing an Advance Copy of this book. The views expressed herein are my own.
*Amazon Associates earn from qualifying purchases.