Two Homes, One Heart

by Jessica Young, Chelsea O'Byrne (Illustrator)

Overview

From acclaimed creators Jessica Young and Chelsea O’Byrne comes a heartening picture book about evolving families and enduring love.

Two parents, one me.

Are we still a family?

Living in two homes can be a big adjustment, but it can also present opportunities for growth. Jessica Young’s poignant story and Chelsea O’Byrne’s tender illustrations offer gentle reassurance to kids navigating separation or divorce and remind us that while families change, love is constant.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063253971
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,056,524
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jessica Young grew up in Ontario, Canada. The same things make her happy now as when she was a kid: art, music, dancing, cooking, reading, and writing. A former art teacher, Jessica loves writing picture books, early readers, and chapter books, and sharing the creative process with young readers through author visits. Books she has written include: I'll Meet You in Your Dreams, My Blue Is Happy, Play This Book, Pet This Book, the Fairylight Friends early reader series, the Haggis and Tank Unleashed early chapter book series, and Baby's Here! Visit her website at jessicayoungbooks.com.

Chelsea O'Byrne is an artist with a passion for children's picture books. She graduated from Emily Carr University in 2016 and has since illustrated several books, including Teatime Around the World (2020), and Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door (2023). She lives on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver, British Columbia).

Editorial Reviews

"A separation grows into expanded love... New experiences and traditions are formed, the new home adds a puppy, and the additional physical space creates room to metaphorically grow into... Through love continually shared, the two homes become more and more connected. Brief, rhyming verse flows well across the pages. Though the text is spare, the characters’ love for one another is palpable. The mixed-media illustrations are homey, populating the pages with long-limbed bodies and many cozy details." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"The minimalist rhyming text puts the emphasis on the girl’s emotions, while the digital illustrations carry the positive changes over the seasons. Helpful for adults and children alike."
— Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2024-01-05
A separation grows into expanded love.

After a couple—one who has shoulder-length black hair, the other red-haired and bearded—decide to live apart, their child navigates the ensuing changes. First, the bearded parent sets up a new home with help from the child, but soon the little one says goodbye and returns to the black-haired parent’s house. Then comes the inevitable question: “Are we still a family?” New experiences and traditions are formed, the new home adds a puppy, and the additional physical space creates room to metaphorically grow into. The child still spends time with both parents, but in different locations now, and later, all three attend a community-wide event. Through love continually shared, the two homes become more and more connected. Brief, rhyming verse flows well across the pages. Though the text is spare, the characters’ love for one another is palpable. The mixed-media illustrations are homey, populating the pages with long-limbed bodies and many cozy details. The established home and black-haired parent are awash in yellow, while the new home and bearded parent are dominated by shades of blue. The child, at first stuck in between, is an earthy green. But more green elements begin to appear in each house, with other colors seeping in to balance the scenes, and by the end a literal rainbow spans the homes. The family trio has pale skin.

Full of heart. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews