Going Down Home with Daddy

A 2020 CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK  
  • ISBN: 9781561459384
  • Publication date: 04/01/2019
  • Page Count: 32
  • Size: 9" x 10-3/4"
  • Age Range: 4-8
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  • ISBN: 9781561459384
  • Publication date: 04/01/2019
  • Page Count: 32
  • Size: 9" x 10-3/4"
  • Age Range: 4-8
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  • ISBN: 9781682632291
  • Publication date: 05/07/2024
  • Page Count: 32
  • Size: 9" x 10-3/4"
  • Age Range: 4-8
  • Price:
  • Age Range: 4-8
  • Price:
  • ISBN: 9781682632499
  • Publication date: 04/08/2020
  • Page Count: N/A
  • Age Range: 4-8
  • Price:
  • Age Range: 4-8
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Description

Set at one young boy’s annual family reunion, this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book is a rich and moving celebration of Black history, culture, and the power of family traditions.

“On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there’s nothing like going down home”

Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they’ll share, but what will Lil Alan do?

Kelly Starling Lyons’ eloquent text explores the power of history and family traditions, and stunning illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor- and Caldecott Honor-winner Daniel Minter reveal the motion and connections in a large, multi-generational family.

Author/Illustrator

Kelly Starling Lyons

Author

Kelly Starling Lyons is a former journalist and the author numerous books for young readers including One More Dino on the Floor, Hope’s Gift, Ellen’s Broom, and the Jada Jones series.

Daniel Minter

Illustrator

Daniel Minter is a painter and illustrator, whose work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. He is the illustrator of eleven books for children, including Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness and Ellen’s Broom, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor Award.

Reviews

“Imagery is presented in marvelous metaphors… Minter’s acrylic-wash prints soar… A warm, loving, necessary reminder of the power in families coming together.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“Minter’s illustrations, rendered in an acrylic wash, work in beautiful harmony with Lyons’s joyful portrait of a deeply loving multigenerational family. Carefully layered images, patterns, and textures reinforce the narrative links between family history, American history, ancestral land and nature, and the bonds of family… Readers will enjoy this moving celebration of familial love, history, and tradition. Highly ­recommended.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“A lushly illustrated tribute to family history… Lyons’s image-rich prose and Minter’s powerful acrylics…convey a sense of historical struggle alongside cherished tradition while capturing the experience of performance jitters.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lyrical…a heartfelt story of family love, shared history, and connection to a place that binds everyone together.” —Booklist

Awards

Randolph Caldecott Medal (Honor Book) —ALSC, 2020

North Carolina Author Awards (AAUW Award for Juvenile Literature) —North Carolina Literary & Historical Association, 2019

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens —Capitol Choices, 2020

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People ―NCSS/CBC, 2020

Notable Children’s Books―ALSC, 2020

Best Children’s Books of the Year ―Bank Street College of Education, 2020

CCBC Choices (Picture Books for School-Age Children) ―Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 2020

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book ―Chicago Public Library, 2019

Best Book of 2019 ―Kirkus Reviews, 2019

Best Book of 2019 ―School Library Journal, 2019

Lupine Award  (Picture Book) ―Maine State Library Association, 2019

Georgia Children’s Picture Book Award (Finalist)―University of Georgia, 2021

Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Awards (Nominee)― Arkansas Department of Education, 2021-2022

North Carolina Children’s Book Award (Nominee, Picture books) ―North Carolina Reading Association, 2021

Star of the North Picture Book Award (Nominee) ―Minnesota Youth Reading Awards, 2020-2021

Resources

Resources: Discussion Guide, Other, Poster, Teacher's Guide

Discussion Guide
Teacher’s Guide
Author Q&A
Poster

More Details

AR Level: 3.5
F&P: P, Gr 3, Genre RF
Lexile: 660L
Themes: Family Reunion, African-American Tradition, African-American History, Celebration, Family History
BISAC 1: JUV013030 JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Multigenerational
BISAC 2: JUV011010 JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / African American
BISAC 3: JUV005000 JUVENILE FICTION / Boys & Men

Have a Look Inside

Books By Kelly Starling Lyons