You and Me and Home Sweet Home

by George Ella Lyon and Stephanie Anderson

An African American girl chronicles two transformations over the course of this lyrical... read more

An African American girl chronicles two transformations over the course of this lyrical story that begins with the girl and her mother on the verge of homelessness. The first transformation is physical: Volunteers—including the girl and her mom—converge on “a little plot of grass” and begin digging, pouring, sawing, hammering, building. The lead builders are all women, and over the course of a week, they construct a home. The second transformation is much more profound as the girl’s and her mother’s uncertainty about their future is replaced by excitement in a story that concludes with the dedication of their new “home sweet home.” George Ella Lyon’s participation in a Women’s Build project in Kentucky inspired this picture book warmly illustrated by Stephanie Anderson. Lyon includes just enough in her narrative to make clear that there was a lot happening prior to the project’s start—such as sponsorship by the church the girl and her mother attend—to make the new home possible. (Ages 4–8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2010

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