Home Is in Between by Mitali Perkins

Home Is in Between, a new picture book from Mitali Perkins, shows a new immigrant navigating two worlds with creativity and enthusiasm.

Home Is in Between by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2021. 40 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8

Recommended For: Ages 4-8 (but all ages will enjoy it)

She waved to Didu/ To warm monsoon rains./ And the green palm trees of her village/ Of her village.

The plane landed far away./ In a town with cold rain/ And orange and yellow leaves.

Shanti and her family have just moved to America from India, and everything looks different! Shanti soon realizes that more than the weather and scenery are different. At home, she continues eating biryani, speaking Bangla, and dancing Bollywood style. Out and about, particularly at school, Shanti speaks English, puts napkins in her lap, and learns new dances like ballet. Shanti is torn and wishes her two worlds could meet and become one.

Mitali Perkins told us in the Winter, 2021, edition of The Redeemed Reader Quarterly (“The Literary Family”) that this book is the closest to memoir that she will write. Shanti’s experiences mirror Mitali’s own experiences as a new immigrant. Readers will fall in love with Shanti’s earnest desire to belong as well as her obvious delight in the people she knows and the new things she experiences. And Shanti’s solution to her problem, as well as her recognition that “home is in between” are a fitting end to this sweet picture book. Illustrations add charm and childlike-ness to the serious question of belonging; watch for the blue elephant!

Considerations:

• This is a great book for Christians to discuss: Where IS our true home? Why do we often feel the tension here on earth of belonging in two places? How can we love our neighbors, especially when they are from different places and unsure of how to navigate our culture and customs? (Don’t turn the book into a sermon, but watch for ways to nudge conversation along.)

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 4.5 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: We’re big fans of Mitali Perkins (with good reason)! Check out some of her other books through our reviews: Between Us and Abuela (picture book), Rickshaw Girl (middle grades), Tiger Boy (middle grades), You Bring the Distant Near (young adult), Bamboo People (young adult), and Forward Me Back to You (young adult)
• A Resource: Find more great picture books here at Redeemed Reader

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