The House of Grass and Sky by Mary Lyn Ray

Abstract

Reviewed by: The House of Grass and Sky by Mary Lyn Ray Deborah Stevenson, Editor Ray, Mary Lyn The House of Grass and Sky; illus. by E. B. Goodale. Candlewick, 2021 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536200973 $17.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-6 yrs “Once, out in the country, someone knew right where to build a house.” As the years went by, the house happily contained a sequence of families, and it never felt abandoned when people moved out, because “a new family always came—until one didn’t.” The empty house misses having residents and it has its hopes for habitation dashed a few times; eventually a new family moves in and discovers the property’s wonders, and the home and humans get to work on “making new memories, together.” The careful, gently lyrical, gently anthropomorphic text makes explicit the kind of emotional investment many children (and adults) place in their homes, and the details of country life are idyllic and inviting. Goodale’s mixed-media art radiates with verdant joy; rather than overtly animating the house, it focuses on the family life within it, piling up snapshots of family events and depicting memories of previous residents in fey shadows. Small details mark different eras, but the cast is credibly multicultural and the people are always more salient than the history. Like Wahl’s The Blue House (BCCB 7/20), this would be a tender preparation for a move to a new house or a farewell to an old one. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois