The amazing team of Kerley and Fotheringham have done it again with “A Home For Mr. Emerson.” Together, they brought us “What to Do About Alice”, “The Extraordinary Mark Twain”, and “Those Rebels, John and Tom.” I love the endpapers with various of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quotes, including the simple but powerful “Scatter Joy.”
Following Emerson on his journey, explaining that he moved around often as a young boy and longed for a place to call home. I love that “he wondered: Could he build a life around these things he loved?” The answer, of course, yes.
And Kerley and Fotheringham built a book that focuses in on Emerson’s home, both the building, and the town and community. The final return home reminds me of the reality television show “Extreme Home Makeover.” I imagine Ty Pennington obnoxiously yelling, “MOVE THAT BUS!” as Ralph Waldo Emerson and his daughter, Ellen, returned home from their trip abroad. I particularly enjoyed the Author’s Note as that fleshed out more details of Emerson’s personal life. And, to conclude: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
A Home for Mr. Emerson
Author: Barbara Kerley
Illustrator: Edwin Fotheringham
ISBN: 978-0-545-35088-4
Published2014 by Scholastic Press
I borrowed this copy from my public library to read and review.
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