A young girl reflects on her father's memories of Haiti.Lune loves hearing Daddy's stories of his homeland. He tells funny tales about falling out of a mango tree, insightful tales about the medicine man who knew just what sickly children needed, and poignant tales of a young boy dreaming of a new life. But now Daddy works extra shifts so the family can save up for a new house and so Daddy can send money back to relatives in Haiti. Lune stays up extra late one night and sees Daddy as he's coming back, and he tells her a story before sending her back to bed. The next morning, inspired, Lune resolves to tell her own stories. Suffused with color, each page teems with life and verve, weaving stories together across place and time. Many of the tales begin with "lakay" (Haitian Creole for "back home") or "krik!" "krak!" Some are tinged with sorrow, as when Daddy recalls his own father's garden, before Hurricane Flora washed away the vegetables and flowers that grew there. Though Lune has never been to Haiti herself, Casimir and Daley make clear that stories have the power to transport; as Lune says, "It's like we're looking in a mirror that takes both of us back home." Readers who have deep roots in a familial homeland they've never visited will feel buoyed.A feast for the eyes and the spirit. (glossary, author's note for caregivers and parents, author's note for kids) (Picture book. 4-8)

K-Gr 2 —In a powerful testimony about ancestral roots and family, the author uses her personal experience to express how shared stories between a father and daughter enrich their connection to each other and their cultural homeland. Lune is the daughter of two Haitian immigrants; her hardworking father establishes a routine of telling her tales. Despite her mother's admonitions to go to bed, she stays up late for him to return home. Laughingly, her mother gives in to the inevitable tales that span medicine men, hurricanes, and foolish boys falling from mango trees. Digital illustrations are vivid, effectively bringing Haiti into Lune's home as her father weaves his past into her present. In one scene, Lune imagines "me and Daddy going back home to climb magical mountains," and she sees out her bedroom window the beauty of a Haitian night. Flowing white curtains seem to become the river waters from the previous story in an endless patterning of one's past and present painted on a deep indigo sky. The incorporation of language, such as lakay, which means back home, heralds the start of a story and adds authenticity. A glossary and notes for educators and caregivers, as well as children, are included. VERDICT An excellent selection that allows children and families to reflect on the richness of who they are and what "back home" means to them.—Rachel Zuffa