Set at one young boy's annual family reunion, this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book is a rich and moving celebration of Black history, culture, and the power of family traditions."On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there's nothing like going down home"Down home is Granny's house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they'll share, but what will Lil Alan do?
Kelly Starling Lyons' eloquent text explores the power of history and family traditions, and stunning illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor- and Caldecott Honor-winner Daniel Minter reveal the motion and connections in a large, multi-generational family.
On sale: April 2, 2019
Age: 4-8 years
Grade: Preschool - 3
Page count: 32 Pages
ISBN: 9781561459384
Reading level: Lexile: 660L
A Pittsburgh native, Kelly Starling Lyons attended Syracuse University and worked as a journalist before beginning her career as a children's book author. She has written numerous books for young readers including the Caldecott Honor Book Going Down Home with Daddy and the Geisel Honor Book Ty's Travels: Zip, Zoom! Lyons lives in North Carolina.
Daniel Minter is a painter and illustrator, whose work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. He is the illustrator of several books for children, including Ellen's Broom, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor Award, and Going Down Home with Daddy, for which he received a Caldecott Honor. He lives in Maine.
★ "Imagery is presented in marvelous metaphors. . . Minter's acrylic-wash prints soar. . . A warm, loving, necessary reminder of the power in families coming together."
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review"Lyrical. . . a heartfelt story of family love, shared history, and connection to a place that binds everyone together."
—Booklist★ "Minter's illustrations, rendered in an acrylic wash, work in beautiful harmony with Lyons's joyful portrait of a deeply loving multigenerational family. Carefully layered images, patterns, and textures reinforce the narrative links between family history, American history, ancestral land and nature, and the bonds of family... Readers will enjoy this moving celebration of familial love, history, and tradition. Highly recommended."
—School Library Journal, Starred Review"A lushly illustrated tribute to family history. . . Lyons's image-rich prose and Minter's powerful acrylics. . . convey a sense of historical struggle alongside cherished tradition while capturing the experience of performance jitters."
—Publishers Weekly
