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RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME by Nigel Gray

RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME

by Nigel Gray & illustrated by Gregory Rogers

Pub Date: June 30th, 1996
ISBN: 0-517-70923-6
Publisher: Crown

No new ground is broken in this rehash of an age-old theme, but the sensitive drawings give it poignancy. Sam, tired of his bossy father, packs up his backpack and heads out into the rain. Sam gets lonely in his hiding place, and boredom sets in. He goes home for a forgotten toothbrush and his parents invite him for a piece of cake. He decides that the comforts of hearth and home are worth putting up with problem parents. Gray (I'll Take You to Mrs. Cole!, 1992, etc.) skims the surface of the action, never revealing the motivating factors behind Sam's leaving, so the story remains a list of telling details that delineate Sam's world. Close-ups of Sam's face and posture bring readers right into contact with the boy's developing sense of independence, his discovery of his loneliness, and his dignified re-entrance into the family. (Picture book. 3-7)