Home by Baker, J.

From my Literary Journal in my Children's Literature Class:

Baker, J. (2004). Home. Pub. city, state: Greenwillow Books. 28 pp. (Grade Level: K-3).

            This picture book looks out Tracy's bedroom window as she grows from baby to a mother herself. From the window the reader sees the street on the other side of the family's yard, and as pages are turned and Tracy grows up, the girl's family, neighbors, and friends begin reclaiming the street. It goes from a rundown street to a garden/park and a wonderful place for children to play and grow.

            Baker created this picture book as a collage, and it is aesthetically intriguing.  Many things change from page to page, within the room but more-so outside. While this book could be part of a unit on what 'home' is, or even a social studies until about the different places people live, it would be hard to use in the classroom. So much changes from page to page that in order for readers to get the full grasp of what is going on they would need to pour over the pages intently, which would be hard to do with 20-30 young students all at once. It would be better used in a one on one setting, or at a 'station' where only a few students would 'read' it at a time.