Synopses & Reviews
A 2020 Caldecott Honor Book
"On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there's nothing like going down home."
Down home is Granny's house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will join great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to family history. All the kids have to decide on what tribute to share, but what will Lil Alan do?
In this rich and moving celebration of history, culture, and ritual, Kelly Starling Lyons' eloquent text explores the power of family traditions. Stunning illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor-winner Daniel Minter reveal the motion and connections in a large, multigenerational family.
Review
"Readers will enjoy this moving celebration of familial love, history, and tradition. Highly recommended." School Library Journal
Review
"...a lushly illustrated tribute to family history....Lyons's image-rich prose and Minter's powerful acrylics...convey a sense of historical struggle alongside cherished tradition while capturing the experience of performance jitters." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Imagery is presented in marvelous metaphors....A warm, loving, necessary reminder of the power in families coming together." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A tribute to families and the components that connect them." Booklist
About the Author
Kelly Starling Lyons is a former journalist and the author numerous books for young readers including One More Dino on the Floor, Hope's Gift, Ellen's Broom, and the Jada Jones series.
Daniel Minter is a painter and illustrator, whose work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. He is the illustrator of eleven books for children, including Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness and Ellen's Broom, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor Award.