Kids Book Index
Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Loren Long
Lyrical text and warm illustrations consider what makes a home. Rather than treating home only as a physical place, the book connects it with the people who create belonging. It recognizes that families and homes can take many forms, and also includes community, safety, and the natural world in its vision of home.
This book appears on 5 reading lists across 3 editions from 4 organizations.
The ExperimentRebecca SteadNathan has grown up in New York believing that his brown-skinned family belongs to the Kast, an extraterrestrial group being tested for life on Earth. He has never seen the Kast mothership, called the Wagon, until a sentient tail appears and he is summoned there. Other Kast children, including his friend Izzy, have gone to the Wagon and not returned. There Nathan discovers Izzy imprisoned and learns that the identities he has accepted may be false.Grades 3–5ATOS Book Level 4.2AR Interest Level MG 4–8On one of the same reading listsView book details
The House That FloatedGuojing, illustrated by GuojingIn this wordless story, a family lives in a small red house on a cliff above the sea. They fish, watch dolphins, and spend time outdoors together, but rising sea levels gradually bring water to their doorstep. When they must leave, the family gathers wood to build a large raft and tows their house across the water. After traveling overnight, they find another cliff, a lighthouse, and people nearby.Picture BooksOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
How We Love: A We Celebrate BookLittle Feminist, Kati Douglas, Ashley JeffersonPhotographs of families accompany short sentences about the ways love can be shown. The book includes listening, helping, sharing, and kindness, along with images of many kinds of people and family relationships. Its photo-based pages present love as a large idea expressed through everyday interactions and varied family lives.Birth–PreschoolOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details