Picture Books About Moving

As we prepare for our upcoming move to Durham, NC we're digging out some of the books we got when we moved to CA two years ago. Thought I'd post a few of them here and will follow up with some new ones that address more "grown-up" issues like missing people.

Big Ernie's New Home is my favorite so far. It tells the story of a move through the eyes of a cat. Big Ernie doesn't feel so "big" in his new home and it takes him a while to give his new home a chance and find things to like about it. This book is pretty different than most books about moving because it isn't so literal (see below).

Moving House is an extremely literal young reader style book about moving that introduces many of the concepts of moving that might otherwise throw your young child off: going to visit your new house, people coming to see your old house, packing, movers, having your own room, etc.. Not a literary masterpiece but was reassuring for our daughter.

We're Moving covers many of the same themes but has the added storyline of exploring your new home (looking for a lost toy) and making it your own (planting flowers like at the last house).

Two old potatoes and me by John Coy

A children's book about a father and daughter growing potatoes together with the helpful advice of grandfather. The story is great and the artwork is really wonderful. We checked this one out of the library months ago and then rediscovered it yesterday!

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck has been a favorite author of mine since I read Of Mice and Men in high school. Since moving to California it has been a treat to read more of his books and to connect the landscapes he writes about with an area that we are gradually becoming familiar with. I have been reading East of Eden off and on over the last two months and finished it earlier today. In East of Eden, Steinbeck delves deeply into the concepts of good and evil. Good and evil appear to be relatively clearly defined initially in the book but as the story develops it becomes more and more clear that those boundaries are fuzzy; characters conceived of in one way early on change markedly over the course of the novel. Throughout I really enjoyed the writing but was put off initially by some of the characters who felt a bit two dimensional. Steinbeck's approach is very deliberate throughout though and the apparent clarity early on sets the stage for what follows. I realize I sound a bit like a literary critic here but am simply trying to give the gist without giving anything away. Definitely recommended.

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

This story is very reminiscent of our daughter Lena's school. The kids invent a special place called Roxaboxen, complete with ice cream shops and traffic cops, where they spend their days at play. Lena says she likes how they make so many houses.

The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments by Arnold Lobel

"Long ago there were no colors in the world at all." So begins Arnold Lobel's story about a wizard who invents colors. A really sweet book.

Mr. Mead and his Garden by John Vernon Lord

Mr. Mead loves to garden but is constantly struggling with slugs and snails. His solution is to throw them over his garden wall until his neighbors begin to complain about the mountains of invertebrates. With the help of a crow Mr. Mead comes up with a solution to lure his unwanted companions to a new home. Great illustrations and story.

Lobster Moths by Diane Redfield Massie

This is a really really cute children's book about a scientist who studies lobster moths and his cat who likes to eat them. The two friends go through a metamorphosis that leads them into a host of troubles. The illustrations are great and the story really fun. Can't wait to look for more at the library by Diane Massie!