After the last brick is laid, a family moves into a brand-new house. As the family grows, the house delights in the sound of laughter echoing in its halls and the pitter-patter of little feet traversing its floors and realizes it is no longer just a house. It has become a home – their home. One day, the family packs up, and with tears in their eyes, they say good-bye. The house doesn’t know if it can ever be happy again until a special couple appears. The house begins to feel a sliver of hope … perhaps it can become a home once again.
Told from the perspective of a house, the heartfelt text and beautiful illustrations convey a warmth of feeling as two families change and grow at different times within the same four walls.
Heartfelt and filled with possible connections for families ~ Kirkus
A house loses its inhabitants and longs to be loved again. …. Though comparisons to Virginia Lee Burton’s classic ‘The Little House’ (1942) are inevitable, Kosinski’s text gives this house a chance to speak for itself. The contemplative narrative voice achieves the delicate balance of being sentimental without becoming maudlin. Docampo’s colorful double-page spreads delightfully extend the text with small details. Her stylized human figures, small against the grandeur of the house’s rooms and furniture, can be difficult to make out. Yet the expert use of light and dark creates beautiful, emotional contrasts of warmth and isolation—a wonderful match of both verbal and visual tone. ~ Kirkus Review
Publishers Weekly
This quiet tale by Kosinski opens on a newly constructed house—the book’s narrator—welcoming a pale-skinned family of four, one a pregnant adult, and savoring how they grow over the years. “I treasured the sound of laughter echoing down my hall. My family loved me. And I loved my family.” But eventually the family puts the home on the market, leaving it forlorn and stubbornly refusing to let anyone else in. That is, until an interracial gay couple takes on the fixer-upper and, despite the home’s initial reluctance, fills its halls with cheer. Sleekly rendered acrylic and colored pencil art by Docampo casts the house’s interior in rich chiaroscuro, focusing less on the hazy-faced humans and more on architectural spreads in this familiar narrative of being left behind and learning to love again. Ages 3–7. (Nov.) ~ Publishers Weekly
Colleen Rowan Kosinski und Valeria Docampo haben mit ihrem gemeinsamen Werk „Wieder zu Hause!“ einen echten Bilderbuchschatz herausgebracht, mit welchem sie Jung und Alt ein einzigartiges (Vor-) Leseerlebnis bescheren. Ich kann „Wieder zu Hause!“ jedem nur ans Herz legen. Ich habe mich sofort in dieses wundervolle Bilderbuch verliebt und hatte unheimlich viel Freude dabei, mich beim Durchschmökern von der herzerwärmenden Geschichte und den traumhaft schönen, atmosphärischen Bildern verzaubern zu lassen. Von mir gibt es 5 von 5 Sternen!
Colleen Rowan Kosinski and Valeria Docampo have, with their joint work “Wieder zu Hause!“has published a real picture book treasure, with which they give young and old a unique (read) reading experience. I can say “Back home! “Just recommend to everyone. I immediately fell in love with this wonderful picture book and had a lot of fun being enchanted by the heartwarming story and the fantastically beautiful, atmospheric pictures while browsing through it. I give it 5 out of 5 stars!
Colleen Rowan Kosinski erzählt mit Unterstützung atmosphärischer Farbzeichnungen der Illustratorin Valeria Docampo eine herzerwärmende Geschichte über Behaustsein und dessen Gefährdung.
Der Subtext transportiert manch wertvolle Botschaft. Trotz aller erlittener Unbill muss das Haus seinen Frieden machen und sich an dem Schönen freuen, das es erlebt hat und noch erleben wird.
Das Ganze ist dabei herzerwärmend und berührend erzählt, so dass man eigentlich nirgendwo anders leben möchte als in diesem einen Haus.
Für mich eine absolute Leseempfehlung, die ich großen und kleinen Lesern ans Herz legen möchte.
With the support of atmospheric color drawings by illustrator Valeria Docampo, Colleen Rowan Kosinski tells a heartwarming story about being at home and endangering it.
The subtext conveys many a valuable message. Despite all the misfortunes suffered, the house must make peace and rejoice in the beauty that it has experienced and will continue to experience.
The whole thing is told in a heartwarming and touching way, so that you don’t really want to live anywhere else but in this one house.
For me, this is an absolute reading recommendation that I would like to recommend to big and small readers.
“Wieder zu Hause!” ist ein wunderschön illustriertes Bilderbuch für alle Altersklassen, das nicht nur mit zauberhaften, atmosphärischen Bildern überzeugen kann, sondern auch die emotionale Geschichte eines Hauses erzählt, das sich nichts mehr wünscht, als von einer Familie zu einem Zuhause gemacht zu werden. Eines meiner liebsten Bücher, das von Valeria Docampo illustriert wurde, da mich auch die Geschichte hier sehr berühren konnte.
“Back home!” is a beautifully illustrated picture book for all ages, which not only impresses with enchanting, atmospheric images, but also tells the emotional story of a house that wants nothing more than to be turned into a home by a family. One of my favorite books, which was illustrated by Valeria Docampo, as the story here also touched me a lot.
Ein superschönes und wundervolles Bilderbuch mit einer Herzenswärme, die mich so warm umärmelt.
Es ist zauberhaft, es vorzulesen oder auch selber zu lesen und diese Geschichte zu entdecken. Es ist einfach so, dass diese Art von Bilderbücher mich wirklich berühren und auch nicht wirklich loslassen.
Es gehört auf jeden Fall ins Bücherregal im Kinderzimmer.
A super beautiful and wonderful picture book with a warmth of heart that hugs me so warmly.
It is magical to read it aloud or read it yourself and discover this story. It’s just that these types of picture books really touch me and don’t really let go.
It definitely belongs on the bookshelf in the children’s room.
Spannend was für Gedanken und Beispiele, die Kinder nach der Vorleserunde äußerten und spannend, wie intensiv sie sich mit der Geschichte beschäftigten.
Im Grunde sensibilisiert Colleen Rowan Kosinskis Geschichte auch für mehr Wertschätzung Altem gegenüber und zeigt, was Heimat und vertraute Orte für ein Leben bedeuten können. Sehnsucht, Geborgenheit, Gebrauchtwerden, Alleingelassen werden aber auch Hoffnung, Abschied nehmen und Loslassen-können, all das Erleben aber vor allem spüren wir in und mit dieser sehr intensiven wundervollen Geschichte und den eindrucksvollen, atmosphärischen Illustrationen, die durch eine warme Farbwahl und einem tollen Spiel von Licht und Schatten ihre Leser einfängt und auch visuell mit auf die Reise durch das Leben des Hauses nimmt.
Exciting what thoughts and examples that children expressed after the reading session and exciting how intensively they dealt with the story.
Basically, Colleen Rowan Kosinski’s story also raises awareness of the old and shows what home and familiar places can mean for a life. Longing, security, being needed, being left alone, but also hope, saying goodbye and being able to let go, but above all, we feel all this experience in and with this very intense wonderful story and the impressive, atmospheric illustrations, which are characterized by a warm choice of colors and a great play of light and Shadow captures its readers and also visually takes them on a journey through the life of the house.
This could possibly be the cutest mini book I’ve read. It’s so wholesome and light-hearted. A home with memories. ~ Tichana (The Book Hobbit) ~ goodreads
Such a wonderful little Story
I have missed the house I had with my ex but the home I raised my children in was better because it welcomed all of my kids friends and if homes could truly have feelings then that had to be a happy home. Thank you for reminding me of what I gained even though I lost the bigger house. ~ Tammie Hughes ~ goodreads
Heartwarming
Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated story about the cycle of love, loss, change, and learning to open up and love again. ~ Joy
Home Sweet Home where Life is Essential
A house is not a home till love arrives to fill it’s walls. Seen through the eyes of a home structure. ~ Guy Ann Corn
Beautiful and heart-warming
Such a beautiful book. The language is lovely, and the illustrations are warm and engaging. The story, so sentimental and endearing, makes the reader reflect on their own memories. The sounds, the smells, the love are what make a house a home. It’s so heart-warming to see the house finally open its heart to a new family and be willing to love and be loved again. A Home Again reminds us that although change is hard, it can bring with it more than we ever expected. A must-have, must-read. ~ Dawn Y
There’s no place like home
This gorgeous books tells the story of a house that becomes a home when a family moves in. But when the family moves out and leaves the house behind, the house is crushed and falls into disrepair. Eventually two men look at the house. They see beyond the creaking floorboards, broken windows, and cracked walls, and move in with their child to make it a home again. This wonderful book celebrates the love that all families bring to a house to make it a home. Highly recommended. ~ Newman
International Publications
成為一個家 Complex Chinese published by Yuan-Liou
Yaramaz Evin Yeni Misafirleri – Turkish published by Yakamoz Cocuk
Un Nuevo Hogar – Spanish published by Tramuntana
Una Nova Llar – Catalan published by Tramuntana
La Maison Rouge – French published by ALICE
Wieder Zu Hause! – German published by Mixtvision
Una casa di nuovo – Italian published by Terre di mezzo
