Home Is Right Where You Are by Ruth Chou Simons

Ruth Chou Simons takes inspiration from Psalm 23 in this gentle, loving reminder to her reader that the Lord is with us wherever we go.

Home Is Right Where You Are by Ruth Chou Simons. Tommy Nelson, 2024. 32 pages.

• Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8
• Recommended For: All ages, but especially teens who have just launched from home…

Listen close, my sweet chid, To this one thing I know. Let’s walk together—hold my hand as we go.

And so a parent leads a child, away from his tent, across a field. A journey begins.

The Lord is your keeper, so all you need is yours—like the peace that He offers and the rest He secures.

The boy is on his journey alone at this point, wandering through forest, field, and sea. Wherever he goes, God is with him, until he arrives back home at the end because

For when God is with you … home is right where you are.

Ruth Chou Simons’s art is well-recognized and her gospel-driven books for women are quite popular—with good reason! Home Is Right Where You Are is her picture book debut; Ruth’s art translates well to the picture book platform. Fans will recognize her signature florals, but the little boy and his dog add in a fun childlike element. The text is poetic and swirls around the page in keeping with the illustrations. Ruth takes inspiration from Psalm 23 in this gentle, loving reminder to her reader that the Lord is with us wherever we go.

Home Is Right Where You Are reads more like Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! or Kruger’s Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know: it feels like a graduation gift more than bedtime book. Children will enjoy it, but those leaving home for the first time will “get it” differently. Consider tucking a copy into your child’s suitcase the first time she leaves home (to summer camp or even to Grandma’s), and definitely keep it in mind when those baby adults head off to college for the first time. Even adults need the reminder that the Lord is with His people no matter where they are.

Remember, unless a book is starred, a review is not necessarily a recommendation. Read more about our ratings here.

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Book Review: Another artistic take on Psalm 23 in picture book format—with an utterly different feel—is Psalm 23 by Tim Ladwig
• Resource: Graduation Gift Ideas! (“grownup” books to include alongside Home Is Right Where You Are)

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