Faraway Home

Bibliographic Info: Kurtz, J. (2000). Faraway Home. Illus. E. B. Lewis. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Annotation: This book tells the story of a father explaining to his American born daughter about his life growing up in Ethipoia. He learns his mother is sick and travels back to Ethipoia as his daughter wonders where he truly belongs. Desta, his daughter, worries that Ethipoia is too dangerous and that he will never return.

Genre: African American fiction/Family

Grade Level: 1-3

Readers who will like this book: Children who are curious about other countries, cultures, or places. Children who are not native to America may enjoy it and feel comfort while reading.

Personal response: I love this book. It is beautifully written and the illustrations are stunning, they set the mood for each page. It captures the love and fear of a child for her father perfectly. I would definitely rate this as a 4 and I plan to add it to my collection.

A question you might ask before reading: Have you ever been somewhere long enough to miss "home"?

Reading strategies connection:
a). Character Perspective Chart
b). Allow students to map out a story while interpreting it in different ways. Students are guided to look at the story from more than one of the characters viewpoints.
c). This reading strategy would be beneficial because it helps the children see both the father's view of the events and the daughters. It allows them to critically think in both characters shoes creating a different feel to the book. Having the students create a character perspective chart will encourage them to really pick apart the book and form their own opinions on feelings, ideas and so on.