Our Home: The Love, Work, and Heart of Family

PreS-Gr 2–The care and keeping of a family yields immeasurable joy accompanied by a healthy dose of work for the diverse households represented in this title. It’s a tip of the hat to all of the invisible labor that happens in, say, a middle-income household, making little ones aware of what their parents do and reminding parents to watch for those bucket-filling moments of delight with their children. The cleaning, cooking, laundry, and yard work are better managed when all members contribute how they are able: “Like hanging your jacket, tidying toys, and making your bed so it’s neat. Clearing your dishes, watering plants, and wiping pee off the seat!” The vistas of this story are limited to presumably American and Central American households of middle class privilege. Unfortunately, this title doesn’t mention what life looks like for families with fewer resources. With 12 percent of Americans living officially below the poverty line, and many others struggling to make ends meet with surging inflation, this picture of American life is not everyone’s reality. The digitally created illustrations feature detailed scenes of domesticity with stiffly rendered people who appear frozen in time.