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LET'S GO HOME by Cynthia Rylant

LET'S GO HOME

by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin

Pub Date: May 1st, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-82326-6
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

The warmth and reassurance of home are put in very concrete terms in this pleasing offering from the creators of the Cobble Stone Cousins series. From the front porch, which is loveliest at Christmas, to the living room, where “that is exactly what people do,” to the kitchen “that reminds people to look after each other,” this is a paean to the comforts of home. The bathroom, from its dinosaur sponge to its scented emollients, and the attic full of stuff, are not neglected, either. Rylant is up to her usual offhand lyricism, although she uses the old-fashioned (and off-putting) “he” as a generic: “Ask anyone to name his favorite place in a house and he will almost always say the kitchen.” Halperin’s detailed illustrations are full of things sure to be in someone’s house somewhere: the sea-green refrigerator, the sugar bowl with the loons painted on it, a beautiful multicolored teapot. This is a house full of pets and children; stuffed animals are everywhere, a collection of marionettes hangs from the walls, and there are mobiles and toys and lovingly delineated furniture. What there isn’t, interestingly enough, is any indication of television, telephones, stereo systems, or computers. Could be very cozy indeed for reading aloud and poring over. (Picture book. 4-8)