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“A young girl reflects on her father’s memories of Haiti. . . . Suffused with color, each page teems with life and verve, weaving stories together across place and time. . . . Readers who have deep roots in a familial homeland they’ve never visited will feel buoyed. A feast for the eyes and the spirit.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Back Home: Story Time with My Father

Written by Arlene Elizabeth Casimir
Illustrated by Ken Daley
Published by Candlewick Press

A lyrical text and vivid, luminous imagery transport readers to Haiti through a father’s tales and a child’s imagination—and invite them to tell stories of their own.

Krik! Krak!
This is how story time begins.

Lune loves hearing her daddy’s stories—the funny ones, the sad ones, the ones with lessons about truth and love. Whether evoking an ill-fated climb up a mango tree or life after a hurricane, flying over magical mountains or the healing power of a mother’s love, all of Daddy’s stories begin with “lakay”—back home—and each one ushers Lune to Haiti, her father’s homeland, a place she doesn’t know but can see, hear, and feel when she closes her eyes. Daddy is her favorite book, and sometimes she stays up late just to hear another story when he gets home from work. Everyone has stories, her mommy tells her, so Lune begins to wonder: could she have stories of her own, too? Author Arlène Elizabeth Casimir offers a love letter to her parents’ birthplace and to the ways storytelling can bring us together, illustrated in lush, enchanting colors by acclaimed artist Ken Daley. Included is a glossary and two author’s notes—one to caregivers and teachers, one to kids—providing ideas and encouragement for sharing the power of story.

Primary ISBN: 9781536223200
Publication Date: April 2024
Available As: Hardcover Picture Book
Picture Book, Age 05 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , ,

Setting: United States, Haiti

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: First Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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