Being Home

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

From Sibert Honor–winning author Traci Sorell and Caldecott Medal–winning artist Michaela Goade comes a heartwarming picture book about a Native American family and the joy of moving back to their ancestral land.

Today is a day of excitement—it’s time to move! As a young Cherokee girl says goodbye to the swing, the house, and the city she's called home her whole life, she  readies herself for the upcoming road trip. While her mother drives, the girl draws the changing landscape outside her window. She looks forward to the end of the journey, where she'll eat the feast her family has prepared, play in the creek with her cousins, and settle into the new rhythm of home.

With warm, expressive artwork and spare, lyrical prose, the story of a young girl’s move toward rather than away from home unfolds.

About the Author

Traci Sorell writes inclusive historical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction in a variety of formats for young people. She is a two-time Sibert Medal and Orbis Pictus honoree and an award-winning audiobook narrator and producer. Her first five books, including We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, At The Mountain’s Base, and We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, have received awards from the American Indian Library Association. Traci is an enrolled Cherokee Nation citizen and lives in her tribe’s reservation in northeastern Oklahoma. 

Author Site: https://www.tracisorell.com/ Social: @tracisorell

Author Residence: Wagoner, OK

Author Hometown: Nowata, OK

Michaela Goade is a 2021 Caldecott Medalist and the New York Times bestselling illustrator of We Are Water Protectors, also a 2020 Kirkus Prize finalist. Her other books include Encounter; Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy, winner of the 2018 American IndianYouth Literature Award for Best Picture Book; and Berry Song, which received a Caldecott Honor. Michaela’s work focuses on Indigenous kidlit, and she is honored to work with Indigenous authors and tribal organizations in the creation of beautiful, much-needed books. She is also an enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

Author Site: https://www.michaelagoade.com/ Social: @michaelagoade

Illustrator Residence:Juneau, AK

Illustrator Hometown:Sitka, AK