The Little House of Hope

Picture book 

     In an author's note Terry Catasus Jennings reveals that her The Little House of Hope was written out of both anger and pride.  The anger was toward a realtor who boasted of never renting to Hispanics.  Her pride was of her family who arrived from Cuba in 1961 with only $50.  All family members went on become gainfully employed citizens.

     A family, parents and their daughter and son, arrive from Cuba.  When they found a house they could afford:

"It was small.

It smelled like old, wet socks.

It had rickety,  tattered furniture 

from a church basement.

But even though they were far from home,

The family was together.

They were safe."

     The parents work multiple jobs.  The children go to school.  The whole family work on their home and study English.  Soon they are joined by the children's aunt and her baby girl.  The aunt begins a day care.  Then a family of four arrives after an arduous journey from Mexico.  

     Families come and go.

"La casita offered a home for those who didn't have a place to go.

It was a safe place, in a new land."

     Even children hear cruel stereotypes about immigrants.  This tender story can help show them that these new arrivals are people fleeing peril and poverty.  But this story is not only for little kids.  Families and older children can be inspired to help new arrivals in their communities with a very challenging transition.

On a purrrsonal note, I really lucked out when my family was only out of power 22 hours.  Something like 100,000 lost power in the big storm last Friday.  Yesterday, four days later, even with power company people working around the clock, four thousand were still in the dark.  Today it's three thousand.  (Jules)

That was a really scary darkness.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the power company people working around the clock.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone