Home

by Matt de la Peña, Loren Long (illustrator)

From Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long, the powerhouse duo behind the #1 New York Times bestseller Love, comes a moving meditation on the places we feel most comfortable, loved, and protected—wherever that might be.

Home is a tired lullaby
and a late-night traffic that mumbles in
through a crack in your curtains.

Home is the faint trumpet of a distant barge
as your grandfather casts his line
from the edge of his houseboat.

With lyrical text and expressive artwork, Matt de la Peña and Loren Long celebrate the beauty and love found in every home, no matter its size. They show how a home is more than just a place . . . People can be a kind of home—a family and a community that cares for one another. And the natural world is another kind of home, a refuge we share with every living thing on Earth.

This deeply moving ode to the universal pull of home, whatever its form, is destined to become a new classic that will be cherished by readers of every age.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Poetry, Contemporary, Love, Emotion

48 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2025

About the author

Matt de la Peña is the New York Times best-selling, Newbery-medal-winning author of six young adult novels and four picture books. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.

Visit Matt at: mattdelapena.com

Reviews

[Ellie Schaben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Libro FM and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ALC of this book!

This audiobook was wonderful, and with all the other reviews on illustrations, I can’t imagine having both versions and how immersive it would feel. Usually with other sounds in audiobooks, I get overwhelmed, but this was just the right amount of background noise to make you feel like you are in each scene as it is described. This book did a great job of expanding on the definition of home and demands inclusivity for those that have encountered any obstacles that come in the way of a traditional home. I would have no hesitation adding this one to my library!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a quiet contemplative text and warm expressive illustrations, this picture book describes comforting places where a child calls home: sleeping in loving arms, on a houseboat with grandfather, playing with toys on a wooden floor, and more. But later there are jarring images of homes that have been destroyed by flooding. The illustrations are heartbreaking, like the one of a young child in a canoe reaching out to a dog who is swimming away from a house that is now underwater. "But slowly, very slowly, you will find a harbor in love." Fortunately, this devastation is followed by everyday life resumed with loved ones together. A thoughtful picture book that will leave readers with much to ponder and discuss.

"Home is not a house you leave behind but the people who walk beside you."

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss for the digital review copy.

Wow! I was excited to see a new Matt de la Peña book, but to also see it's illustrated by Loren long - very excited about this one and it doesn't disappoint. So much detail in the illustrations and beautiful words to go with them. I think this is something that could really impact kids and make them look at their homes differently, especially with so many people losing them in natural disasters of late. Very impactful.

LOVE the connection to nature and place and simply being. Gzorgeous!
Will be adding to our collection!

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and uplifting picture book about the meaning of home and the ways in which that concept can change over time.

[Summer D Clemenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home is poetry, a lullaby, memories and emotions with loved ones, experiences, the people that make our life better, things we can count on, love we hold onto when there seems to be nothing else. Home is made of family, friends, teachers, neighbors and nature. Home is where we make wishes, where we see miracles and where find ourselves. Home by Matt de la Peña is a contemporary brilliant fiction children's story. this picture book is brought to life by the illustrations by Loren Long.

[Cristina Quattrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This needs to be an anchor text in the classroom- perfect for a poetry lesson about home and belonging, how to express where we feel at home through figurative language, and what happens when home feels like it’s been stripped away. Ugh it’s so good!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely and thoughtful story about home and belonging.

In this book, readers see many different types of homes and a wide variety of experiences associated with living in those communities represented—from morning commuters to lazy afternoons and beyond. Further, this story explores what it means when you may have to leave a beloved home or relocate due to circumstances beyond your control.

Through this book, readers come to better understand what makes a home and how the people we love and who are in are in our community contribute to that sense of belonging.

Though clearly geared towards young readers, this is a wholesome and heartwarming read for readers of all ages.

If you are in need of a feel-good read, I’d highly recommend this book~

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful look at home. It redefines the word and makes the reader comfortable in images that seem personal because it is familiar to everyone.

[Leigh Collazo · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Librarian's Perspective Reviews at MrsReaderPants.

This gorgeous picture book is the latest from a powerhouse author-illustrator duo.

Author Matt de la Peña won the 2016 Newbery Award for The Last Stop on Market Street (2015). Illustrator Christian Robinson also won the Caldecott Award for this book in the same year.

The illustrator, Loren Long, created the illustrations for The Yellow Bus (2024), which I predicted would win the 2025 Caldecott. It did not win, but I think this book will yet again be a Caldecott contender for 2026. Other notable titles illustrated by Loren Long include: Love (with author Matt de la Peña), Change Sings (with author Amanda Gorman), and Someone Builds the Dream (with author Lisa Wheeler).

The rich vocabulary is full of sensory details to savor. Some examples:

~“the gnarled branches of an old oak tree”
~“the calloused hand of a quiet father”
~“the hawk steadily circling overhead, measuring the sky with its wings”

Home is a great choice if you are teaching second person narration, which is used throughout the story. Various diverse children and families are featured in the illustrations, but the story addresses “you” as the main character.

This is not always a happy story. Characters are devastated by homes lost in a flood or what appears to be eviction. But the crux of the story is that though disasters may occur, home is not necessarily a place. Home is where your family is. I love that this also includes dogs!

This might be a great picture book to share with families that have suffered the tragic loss of their home to disasters such as fire or floods or moving away. Some of the illustrations are sad, but readers are reassured after the loss of the homes because home is where your family is.

Throughout the story, families triumph together, and noticing the small details of everyday life helps us get through hard times.

NOTABLE ILLUSTRATIONS AND DISCUSSION TOPICS
~very close airplane outside a window – The text describes the “rumble through the floorboads” as the plane goes by

~busy family with a construction scene outside – Notice the strong muscles on the female construction worker! Also, the father is feeding the baby (who appears to be refusing the food), mom is rushing off to work, and older sibling is alone on the porch

~devastated faces of the parents in the truck – They are moving away from their house. This might be a good discussion page for students. Why are they moving? Why are they so sad? Why are they holding hands? Why are their belongings on the curb (and being left behind)?
What are some of the activities that help the families feel less sad? (cooking, tossing a baseball, reading, walking together and holding hands, attending church, climbing a tree, enjoying nature)

~2-page spread of child’s face up-close – Notice the earth reflected in the child’s eyes!

DIVERSITY
Home features many different and diverse characters. Families include mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children. Skin tones vary. One adult female wears hijab, and a young male character is wearing a yarmulke. Queer families are not explicitly represented, but some pages feature numerous characters that may or may not be queer.

LIBRARIANS WILL WANT TO KNOW
Would adults like this book? YES; the language is gorgeous, and the illustrations include lots of details to pore over.

Would I buy this for my high school library? YES, IF… I were looking for examples of imagery in picture books for ELA classes.

Would I buy this for my middle school library? YES, IF… I were looking for examples of imagery in picture books for ELA classes.

Would I buy this for my elementary library? ABSOLUTELY YES! I think this could be a Caldecott contender for next year, but even if it isn’t, the illustrations and message of hope during natural disasters are excellent.

~Mature Content
~Profanity: none
~Sexuality: none
~Violence: none
~Drugs/Alcohol: one character silhouette on a city street MIGHT have a cigarette in his mouth. It could easily be a straw or toothpick as it is a silhouette.
~Other: Some illustrations are sad. Parents moving away from their home have devastation on their faces. A family is in a boat escaping a flash flood. A dog is in flood waters and swimming toward a boat. But the message is of hope in the face of disaster.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the companion book to Love, this time de la Peña and Long share the many places and forms that can define the term "home" for kids, including those in the city or the country, on the road, at the seashore, on a lake, or in a forest - in good times and in bad. It is not about the place, rather it is the people who surround you that make it a home.

Matt de la Peña's poetic text is quiet and gentle, and captures the essence of each place being described.

Loren Long delivers some of his most emotional work here, as many of these children are not living in what we consider to be "normal" circumstances and some that I consider challenging. The child living on a houseboat with his grandfather, the noisy outside world encroaching inside and disturbing the calm in the home, the child sleeping in the cab of his father's big rig as they travel across country, and the family made homeless by Nature's fury. These are all tempered by the presence of family and friends who bring joy and love into the lives of these children. Long's art was rendered "on archival foam core with acrylic paint and whatever dust and dog hair happened to be floating around the artist's studio". As often in his work, there is a dreamy, long-ago feel to many of the scenarios, making the reader feel very comfortable and "at home". Be sure to check out the secret cover!!

Use this in units on "What makes a home?", family, and hope for the future.

Highly Recommended for PreSchool-grade 3.

[Roben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book that helps readers define home. It distinguishes between a house and a home. And presents events and disasters that can possibly take away a house but not the feeling of home. It stresses the importance of family, community, and nature in a lyrical way. I've included a few quotes from the book below.

"Home is not a house you leave behind but the people who walk beside you."

"And slowly, very slowly,
you shed the hurry like old skin
and turn instead toward wonder."

"Home is not the walls we build up
around our orderly little lives
but the wild, wild world outside."

Be sure to peek under the dust jacket - the cover is poignantly different.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between a 3 and a 4 for now, but I may adjust this thinking upon rereading. I love the idea of home being the people around you and the natural world, but at times the text felt a little lofty to me. I wonder if it may take a lot for kids to understand what De La Pena is getting at. Not that that's a bad thing, just makes this more of a discussion book about metaphor and how we appreaciate what we have. I definitely see this speaking more to older readers, particularly with the themes of displacement and loss. The illustrations are beautiful and a real highlight I think. I still feel Loren Long deserved Caldecott attention at some point! I'm not sure if this book will do it... I feel like The Yellow Bus was slightly more unusual and striking to me with what he did with color.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous! The artwork is stunning. Every page has color and light and shading. The tone is warm and fuzzy, and sometimes loud and horrific. The artist use acrylic and other things.

I'm not sure I agree with Matt on the meaning of Home, but he makes his point. He is doing a study on what is home. What happens when we lose our home? He posits home is us in the wide world. It's not so much a place as those can be destroyed.

I guess he was going for, "Home is where the heart is." The book encourages thinking about home and what it means.

I think kids will love looking at this artwork.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt de la Pena is a master at the kind of books that we give as gifts to our family and friends. This one is just that. It is lyrical phrasing against the exquisite paintings by Loren Long. It is a book meant to be shared, treasured, and reshared. Everyone's story is here as each home in the story has its own story being told and is honored along the way by the people who cherished its safety and security. This book is a warm blanket for a cold, dark, stormy night. It is also a fireside read after a day of hiking in the canyons while watching the most stunning sunset. Thank you, Matt and Loren.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

de la Pena and Long examine the concept of home - how we each interpret it in a personal way and how that definition can evolve as conditions, time and situations change. The text is lyrical, thoughtful and child appropriate and the accompanying illustrations are created in vibrant tones and are beautifully evocative. These are reflective of the Depression era art and they touch the heart while easily conveying our current time while still championing our diverse nation.

Children will find themselves in these absorbing pages. A lovely lap book and equally wonderful for a classroom read and discussion/writing prompt on the nature of home.

A must purchase.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home is described as more than a structure in this lovely picture book by Matt de la Pena. The illustrations are stunning, Loren Long is one of my favorites, and they pair so nicely with the words. I always love a picture book that doesn't sugar coat real life, especially when a lot of people live a lot of different ways, and even unhoused. But this book provides hope with the reality, stating home is not just a structure, but in the people that you love and all the ways they love you back. This would be great for a preschool storytime, but I would even read it to early elementary students as well.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was not for me. Very depressing with a disjointed attempt at a hopeful ending. I didn't like LOVE either, though. I just don't see how this book won't give a sensitive child nightmares:

But a day may come when you learn how a home can be lost.

This was followed by a bunch of ways YOU can become homeless. Great. I found the poetry disjointed as well. I'd give this one a pass. I know others love it, but I wonder how much of that is love out of obligation simply because of the noted--and yes, very talented--author.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ideas of home can be very different. Not everyone has the same kind of home, or even a home at all. Sometimes homes are lost to floods or hardships, sometimes its not a place, but people, family or community.

When Loren Long and Matt De La Pena team up they deliver a sensitive story with beautiful illustrations. Oh the gifting possibilities - every time I turned a page I got another idea. Many different children will find themselves or their friends or their homes in this thoughtful read. I want to play in that swing. The characters are of varied races and cultures

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like their book, "Love", a book that might make you cry, certainly makes you smile, and finds pages that speak loudly just for you, then wakes you up to those others who also celebrate home. As the book cover says, it's "a refuge we share with every living thing on Earth." Matt de la Peña's caring thoughts paired with Loren Long's luminous paintings leave our mouths wide open with big smiles! I recently found a greeting card with the words, "It's not what we have in life that matters, but "who" we have that matters." That's this book of HOME! Don't miss it!

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home can look like a lot of different things to different people. I loved the art and the idea in this book of showing all the different ways this changes from individual to individual. Honestly that would make a good book all by itself. But then the tone changes, and goes a lot darker. We see homes destroyed and people having to leave homes. The search for home becomes sadder, more wistful. At the end, even hopeful. But it's not what I expected from the first pages of this book so it caught me off guard. It's still a beautiful book though, and worth reading.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like Love, this is beautiful in both language and art. But, I think their talents might work better in an illustrated poetry collection for older children and teens. I KNOW this is a tricky demographic. Marketing poetry to teenagers is nearly impossible -- they want gooey "adult" poetry like Milk and Honey. Along with Amanda Gorman's works, de la Peña and Long's brilliance might break through. Either that or poetry picture books MUST be thrust into the hands of secondary ELA/English teachers by knowledgable children's lit experts and good librarians.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

de la Pena’s books are always profoundly moving, and Home is no exception. There is an exploration of many times of man-made homes but when it comes down to it, Earth is the home of all of us so one can never really be without a home. There is a meditative feel to this book as we explore the different aspects of home and the world around us. Another beautiful book by an award-winning author and sure to win more awards.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book , describing what is home. A few of the thoughts seem to be a bit challenging...I'm not sure I see it. The book is short and appears to be for the younger age group. But the thoughts and descriptions of home would take someone a bit older, 10 to 12, to be able to identify with the description. In the beginning, it seems that home is the people associated with home. But it ventures afar from that as the pages continue. The illustrations were however stellar.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

With beautiful illustrations and lyrical text, this book describes the essence of "home" for various narrators. There is not a plot per se, but a series of descriptions. Each description could be a writing prompt for a story. Students could also write short paragraphs that distill the essence of home for them.
Tie-in:
ELA--adjectives, small moments.
SEL--what feelings are associated with home? Positive? Negative?
Fountas and Pinnell reading level: O

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations help capture the meaning of home along with the tenderly written text. Readers see how many ways places can be home, and then de la Pena zeroes in on home being the people we love not a place. Readers see homes destroyed and lost and people hurting and rallying and fighting back. I love the message and encouragement provided by these two - de la Pena and Long.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thread of home wasn't as strong as the thread of Love in the first book Love that de la Pena and Long partnered on but it's still warm picture book but one where the warmth is brought about by the tragedy that much of the story focuses on.

Visually there are a few pages that I stopped to soak up.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Home is not a house you leave behind/but the people who walk beside you./It's endless laughter of a backyard barbecue/and a teacher who holds open the classroom door/and welcomes you inside." A moving meditation on home. Similar to Love, this is a book that would be a great fit to generate conversation among older students and adults.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This does not seem to be a book for kids. "The thump, thump, thump or the earth's sentimental song"???? And all of the "you"s were confusing.

But I supposed it could work as bibliotherapy after all of the natural disasters that are leaving people homeless? Still, I'd rather hear the running water in my house than earth's sentimental song.

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Thoughtful and evocative depiction of the mostly sounds (and sights) of home, when it is safe and comforting and when it isn’t. Love is what brings you back together safely. Fabulous and feeling illustrations, adore the one of the boy floating towards the swimming dog. Companion to book Love by these 2 outstanding creators.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dark hued depth of Loren Long's depictions through radiant realistic illustrations of "home" profoundly impress readers align with de la Peña's poetic description of an age-old adage: home is not a place but rather the people who make your family and your home. de la Peña describes scenarios of home as both warm and loving as well as potential disaster sites.