This Is Not My Home
Lily is upset when her mom tells her the two of them will be moving from the United States to Taiwan so that her mom can help take care of her Ah Ma. Lily has a litany of things she will miss and doesn’t want to leave behind, including fireflies, her best friend, the Strawberry Hill Farmer’s Market, and school. “Please try to be understanding,” says Lily’s mom. But “Lily was not understanding.” In Taiwan, nothing feels right or familiar to Lily, and she doesn’t know the language. “This is not my home.” Her mom is sympathetic, but she also explains that Taiwan is her home. “And it can be ours.” It’s a turning point for both Lily and the story as a series of wordless page spreads shows the passage of time, with the unfamiliar gradually becoming familiar and friendly. At a family gathering at story’s end, Lily tells her mother in Chinese, “This is my home.” The marvelous text, told mostly in brief dialogue, and skillful panel illustrations in which Lily’s feelings are always expressively apparent work together beautifully to tell this heartening story about moving, change, and family. ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Vivienne Chang, Eugenia Yoh
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Asian Americans
Change
Feelings/Emotions
Immigration and Immigrants
Mothers
Moving
Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans
Diversity subject:
Asian
Publisher:
Little, Brown
Publish Year: 2023
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780316377102
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Yoh