The Lantern House

by Erin Napier, Adam Trest (Illustrator)

Overview

From the nationally beloved co-host of the #1 hit show Home Town comes the quintessential celebration of home.
 
Imagine a house's early days as a home: A young family builds a picket fence and plants flowers in its yard, children climb the magnolia tree and play the piano in the living room, and there is music inside the house for many happy years. But what will happen when its windows grow dark, its paint starts to crumble, and its boards creak in the winter wind? The house dreams of a family who will love it again...and one day, a new story will emerge from within its walls.
 
In this modern classic, Erin Napier’s lyrical prose and Adam Trest’s warm and comforting paintings deeply evoke the soul of a house cherishing the seasons of life and discovering the joy of rebirth.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316379601
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	192,283
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Erin Napier is a designer, author, and entrepreneur. Along with her husband, Ben Napier, she is the co-host of HGTV’s Home Town, co-author of Make Something Good Today and founding co-owner of their stores Laurel Mercantile Co. and Scotsman General Store & Woodshop. She lives in Laurel, Mississippi and she invites you to learn more at www.erinandben.co. 
 
Adam Trest is a fine artist and illustrator who has appeared on HGTV’s Home Town with custom surface design collaborations. Raised in the South, Adam is inspired by the deep-rooted traditions found in southern culture and his imagery is heavily influenced by flora and fauna of the southeastern United States. He lives in Laurel, Mississippi and you can see more of his work at www.adamtrest.com.

Editorial Reviews

"An illuminating and affecting inspection into what makes a house a home."—Booklist

“The combination of poetic text and wistful illustration create a touching and nostalgic mood. The rhythm of the story…is soft and steady as time passes on.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/03/2022

PreS-Gr 3—If these walls could talk, they would be full of fascinating stories. This book beautifully tells the story of one house and the care and joy it provides for the families that inhabit it. The house bears witness to all of life's major milestones—birth, first love, pets, marriage, aging. and death. It is a testament to all the memories that a family shares. The combination of poetic text and wistful illustration create a touching and nostalgic mood. The rhythm of the story—it carries readers along to eavesdrop on the pivotal moments of life—is soft and steady as time passes on. One night the lights that have always brightened the house do not come on and it remains dark for some time. Cobwebs appear and dust settles into the corners. The house begins to wonder about its next residents as it lays dormant and patiently waits to again be filled with love. At the outset, this book will remind some readers of Virginia Burton's The Little House, with its quaint and sentimental feel. As the story progresses, more modern elements are included. VERDICT Highlighting the joys of first experiences, the book is idealized and maybe not relatable to all audiences. Nevertheless, it's comforting.—Melanie Okadigwe

School Library Journal