Told from the first-person perspective of a red house, this lyrical story begins as the building welcomes its first family, a mom, dad, and two (soon three) children. The house is filled with the sound of baby feet and the smell of baking bread. We watch the children grow and the house delight in its role as their home.
One day, however, they move away. The house doesn’t know why. When other people come to look at the home, the house insists “They weren’t my family,” and shakes and creaks to scare them away. The house eventually falls into disrepair.
Time passes, then two men arrive one day and aren’t deterred by the house’s attempts to keep them out. They’re willing to put in the work to fix up the house, and the house is gradually won over by their efforts—especially after they walk in one day with a baby in their arms.
Soon, happy sounds and the smell of good food fills the house again. “I loved this new family. And they loved me.”
A sweet and lovely tale, with illustrator Valeria Docampo’s soft and warm images perfectly complementing author Colleen Rowan Kosinski’s gentle words.
One man is Black and one White; their child reads as White or Asian.
