Some picture books are like portals to the past, for me. A new release merits attention and praise on its own, but its connection with an all-time favorite of mine can't be ignored. To begin, though, I'll give the new title the full treatment before making that connection at the end of this post.
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| Neal Porter Books, 2022 |
THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE is written by Terry Catasus Jennings and illustrated by Caldecott medalist Raul Colon. My bottom line for this is "textured brilliance". That will take some unpacking, but it's worth the effort.
Beginning with the author note, which comes before the main text, we learn that Jennings wrote this book with both anger and pride. Both came from personal experiences in being confronted by overt bias and residential restrictions based on immigration status. The stated rationale of one realtor was that immigrants would house multiple families in a single dwelling (often, but not necessarily, true), followed by his pejorative conclusion that this practice would inevitably lead to deterioration of property conditions and value. The author's pride arises from her own experiences in which such a pattern did occur, with her own family making room for others. But that extended family/friend support meant each and every family involved would move on to independent success and citizenship. Her father came to this country to escape political imprisonment, managing that same success and more. Outreach from other immigrants, and the support her family could eventually offer to others, inspired deep pride.
"Textured" refers literally to such layers within the text, and to the subtle illustration undercurrents of lines, waves, and shades of color within sprawls and details on every spread. This technique employs natural coloring, shadows, and shading that evoke both timelessness and a slightly old-style classic effect. This story and the patterns it celebrates are as old as our country's history, from initial colonization to later homesteading and eventual industrial immigration. That open embrace and shared identity within family, ethnic, or language-based communities have been the safety nets that launched a nation of workers, learners, leaders, and citizens. It continues to do so, with the beacon of HOPE as a consistent concept over centuries.
In this case, a contemporary fictional family's search for a new life reflects Hispanic language, customs and cultural references/language. The daughter, Esperanza, (her name translates as HOPE) applies her talent to make welcoming posters for each of the families who find short-term respite and support within their little house (Una Casita). Both parents work multiple jobs to cover expenses and allow them to supplement elbow grease with paint and cleaning supplies, improving the home's worth on financial, aesthetic, and emotional levels. The simple narrative incorporates the journeys of several other families whose lives both confirm that realtor's assumptions (multiple families sharing the residence) and defies them (each improving the little house with love, laughter, hard work, and entrepreneurship). We learn that the initial family's progress leads to mastery of English, citizenship, and resuming professional careers they once practiced in their homelands. Throughout each transition, young ESPERANZA provides her message of uplifting hope!
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| Original Release; 1942 Caldecott Gold Medal Award |
As promised, here's the connection this new book brought to mind: THE LITTLE HOUSE, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. In this classic and timeless story, it is the little house in the country that is eventually encroached on, surrounded by, nearly swallowed-up by urban sprawl. The personality of the house itself is the star, without relying on anthropomorphizing it. The eventual solution is gratifying and continues to apply to modern day urban/suburban/ex-urban sprawl. The ideas, in this and in THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE, offer parallel concepts of values, crowding, communities, identity, and the importance of acceptance and providing room to grow, to thrive. Both also float the sense that this is not a cycle that will (or should) end with the closing of the book cover. If you've never read this one, please do. And be sure to get a copy of THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE, sooner rather than later. It is yet another picture book that reaches the minds and hearts of adults every bit as well as it does those of young audiences.
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