FINALLY HOME

A family prepares for Daddy’s return from military service in Cino’s picture book.

Sarah, a little girl with long brown hair in a red bow, fair skin with rosy cheeks, and wearing a yellow dress, narrates the story of the day Daddy comes home. Sarah has put sprinkles on Daddy’s favorite cupcakes and then helps her big brother Lucas put finishing touches on a “Welcome Home” sign with a drawing of Daddy and the American flag. When it’s time to go, Sara, Lucas, and Mommy get in the truck and drive to the base where many other families are already waiting to see their returning loved ones. Inside the hangar at the base, there are children playing, a buffet with cookies, and a lot of excitement. Eventually everyone goes outside to watch as five planes touch down, one after the next, and taxi in formation toward the hangar: “Tiny green figures climb down onto the pavement. The butterflies in my belly are fluttering faster now.” Daddy spots his family, and the reunion is filled with hugs and tears of joy. Deberd’s realistic illustrations in muted tones seem shrouded in an almost dreamlike haze, like snippets of memory rendered in watercolor. While the illustrations don’t add a lot to the storytelling, they keep up with the pace of the narration, capturing the family’s excitement punctuated by busy work and waiting. Cino’s prose is in first-person present and in Sarah’s voice, which is as descriptive as it is emotional and introspective. For example, when waiting in traffic, Sarah counts the cars ahead of them: “Butterflies flutter in my belly as I stare out at the other cars. I wonder if the people inside them feel as nervous and impatient as I do.” The narrative is simple—it’s just a few hours in the day of one family—without a lot of characterization or embellishments. Daddy is coming home and that’s the only thing that matters.

A poignant family reunion story but also a telling glimpse into the lives of military families.