Close Menu
www.crackingthecover.com
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • Picture
      • Ages 0-3
      • Ages 2 and up
      • Ages 3 and up
      • Ages 4 and up
      • Ages 5 and up
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 8 and up
      • Author Interviews
      • Bedtime Stories
      • Gift Guide
    • Middle Grade
      • Author Interviews
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 7 and up
      • Ages 8-12
      • Ages 9-12
      • Ages 10 and up
      • Gift Guide
    • YA
      • Author Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Adult Crossover
      • Gift Guide
    • Seasonal
      • Back to School
      • Christmas
      • Earth Day
      • Easter
      • Fall
      • Father’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Gift Guide
      • Halloween
      • Spring
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Winter
    • Diversity
      • AANHPI Heritage
      • Autism Month
      • Black Experience
      • Chinese New Year
      • Hispanic Heritage
      • Pride Month
      • Women’s History
    • Crossover
    • About
      • Review/interview policy
      • About our reviewers
    www.crackingthecover.com

    Estelí Meza’s Finding Home builds emotional intelligence

    0
    By Jessica on January 6, 2021 ages 4 & up, picture books
    Finding Home MezaFINDING HOME, by Estelí Meza, Orchard Books, Jan. 5, 2021, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 4-8)

    Estelí Meza’s Finding Home tells the story of friendship and courage in the face of adversity.

    With the arrival of fall comes a storm that blows Conejo’s house away. Conejo follows a trace of wind until he begins to tire and feel frustrated.

    Luckily for Conejo, his friends are there to help. Each in their own way provides shelter and support, but they do not find his house.

    Despite his friends’ good cheer and thoughtful gifts, Conejo still grieves. When the rain clears, so do Conejo’s thoughts, and he rebuilds, filling his new home with treasures he collected along the way.

    There are a lot of things to like in Estelí Meza’s Finding Home. The sweet tales of friendship; the whimsical illustrations; and expressive text. My favorite part, though, is the emotion conveyed throughout.

    One line in particular stands out: “Conejo sat with sadness for some time.” It’s a seemingly simple sentence that offers so much. With those seven words, Meza lets readers know that sitting with sadness (or any emotion) is not only normal, but OK. She gives children permission to sit with their own sadness. Also of note, is that Conejo isn’t depicted with those words. Instead, you take on his vantage point, surrounded by trees, leaves and flowers while rain drips from above.

    Finding Home is an excellent way to teach emotional intelligence without actively teaching it. I can think of numerous applications in which it would be appropriate. I recommend this as a household staple.

     

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jessica
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    Jessica Harrison is the reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. She loves books and worked as the in-house book critic at a daily newspaper, writing reviews and interviewing authors for two years. When the company cut back, she lost her position covering books, but that doesn't mean she stopped reading. If anything, the whole experience made her more passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices. She has been featured on NetGalley's Blogger Spotlight and is on Kindleprenuer's Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs. Contact her at jessica(at)crackingthecover(dot)com and follow Cracking the Cover on Bluesky, Instagram,  Facebook and Twitter (X) @crackingthecovr. You can also read scaled down reviews on Jessica's Goodreads review page. Jessica is also a reviewer on Amazon.

    Related Posts

    Enter the fascinating world of insects in Welcome to the Museum’s Insectarium

    Life: The Wild Wonders of Biodiversity is eye-catching picture book

    The Moon Moved In is imaginative picture book

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • bluesky
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • facebook
    • goodreads
    • amazon
    • bloglovin
    • mail
    Subscribe by email
    Follow
    Recent Posts
    July 11, 2025

    Enter the fascinating world of insects in Welcome to the Museum’s Insectarium

    July 11, 2025

    Middle grade ghost stories feature buried secrets

    July 11, 2025

    YA Fantasy novels feature magic and mystery

    July 11, 2025

    Fight summer boredom with middle grade reads

    July 10, 2025

    Life: The Wild Wonders of Biodiversity is eye-catching picture book

    Archives
    Categories
    On Writing

    “The dance with words and the way the hair on the back of my neck raises when it works right is what I live for.”

    —Gary Paulsen

    “I write because I exist. Because I read. Because I breathe.”

    —Lindsay Eager

    “Books are kind of like the sense of smell: inhale one page and memories come rushing back.”

    —Keir Graff

    Cracking the Cover is a website dedicated to picture, middle-grade and young adult books. It features reviews, author interviews and other book news. PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently accepting self published books for review.

    Copyright © 2010-2022 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

    Reviews Published Professional Reader 2016 NetGalley Challenge 100 Book Reviews

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.