From the Publisher
"A first-rate picture book that deserves a place in all collections. Sure to spark discussion." School Library Journal, Starred
Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
In this timely and touching work, Bunting and Himler present a naturalistic look at the plight of the homeless--their tale of a boy and his father living in a busy airport is all the more disturbing for its lack of a pat resolution. Ages 5-8. Mar.
Children's Literature
- Jan Lieberman
The real meaning of "home" is best understood by those who have no home. Ask the boy in Eve Bunting's latest tale, he'll tell you. He and his dad don't earn enough to pay rent so they live at the airport, moving from terminal to terminal to avoid detection. The boy's loneliness, anxiety, and feeling of captivity are described vividly in text and pictures. Oh, to be free, to fly away...home. 1993 (orig.
Children's Literature
- Susie Wilde
There's a power in a sensitive book that features a relationship between father and child. Bunting tells the story of a homeless boy and father who live in an airport. Illustrations by Himler accent the moods of the book, the pervasive sadness and the blur of living a life that escapes anonymity only because of the bond between father and son.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-- ``My dad and I live in an airport . . . the airport is better than the streets.'' As they did in The Wall Clarion, 1990, Bunting and Himler successfully present a difficult subject in picture book format. A small child narrates the facts of his homeless existence--sleeping sitting up, washing in the restroom, and above all, avoiding being noticed. The brief text runs through all his emotions from a matter-of-fact acceptance to a fierce longing that makes him angry at those who have homes. Using subdued watercolors, Himler conveys the vast, impersonal spaces through which father and son move. He often places them at the back or edge of the pictures, underscoring their need to go unnoticed. This is a serious story but not an overpoweringly grim one. There is a reassuring togetherness between father and son and although there isn't an easy, happy ending, it does conclude on a poignant yet believable note of hope. Both illustrator and author focus on giving the child's-eye view of the problem, and their skill makes this a first-rate picture book that deserves a place in all collections. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
