A home again by Colleen Rowan Kosinski, illustrated by Valeria Docampo

Ever since Virginia Lee Burton wrote The Little House, picture book authors have been anthropomorphizing lonely houses looking for families to live in them. This year has seen a number of these titles, from the beautifully illustrated The house of grass and sky by Mary Lyn Ray, to the gently spooky Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima. Kosinski brings a new house to the neighborhood in her third book and second picture book.

A tall red house welcomes its first family, a traditional white grouping of father, mother, and two (later expanding to three) children. They fill the house with activity, life, and laughter. When the family moves away, the house sinks into disrepair, unwilling to welcome anyone who is not its accustomed family. The towering two-story, vibrant red house shown in the initial pictures fades to a patchy pink, with broken windows and a weed-filled yard.

Then two men, accompanied by a dog, arrive. They look past the house’s dilapidation and imagine it as a home. One blonde, one dark-skinned with curly hair, the two persist in cleaning up and repairing the house. When it soaks up the paint, they add another coat, when the lights flicker they tighten the bulbs.

The house begins to warm into life again, with soft yellows and deep greens. Eventually a baby is added to the family and she toddles happily across the house’s floors. The house is a home again, full of joy, laughter, and light.

Verdict: While not a new concept, this is a pleasant addition to the genre with the added inclusivity of a non-traditional family.

ISBN: 9781542007207; Published November 1 by Two Lions; Review copy provided by publisher