Faraway Home by Jane Kurtz. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. (2000) Reading Level: Ages 4-10. 32 pages. Harcourt Brace. ISBN: 0152000364.
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Faraway Home by Jane Kurtz
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Faraway Home is a story of immigration
and of generations who live far apart. The story is told through the
eyes of Desta, a young girl who is afraid that when her father returns
to his childhood home that he might find it too difficult to leave his
family behind once again.
Desta's story in Faraway Home is enhanced by E. B. Lewis's "stunning, realistic watercolors."
A Reader's Theater adaptation of Faraway Home.
Buzzeo, Toni. "Faraway Home: Reader's Theater." Library Sparks (October 2006) pg. 17-19.
Classroom Connections
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Read about the background for
this book and see if you can identify situations in the book that
mirror events in Jane's life or events in the lives of her family
members.
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Compare the experiences/emotions surrounding "going home" and "returning" that are portrayed in Faraway Home with those in:
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Jerman Disasa, my father's friend who is mentioned in the narrative about the background
for this book, lives in North Carolina, but that's not where Desta and
her parents live. Can you find clues to show you where Desta lives?
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Ask the adults in your family (parents, grandparents,
aunts and uncles, guardians) about what home was like for them when
they were children. Perhaps they grew up in a different country or
state from you. Certainly, they grew up in a different time! Can you
list some differences between their childhood and yours?
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E. B. Lewis's illustrations for the book include pictures
of the night sky as a child in Ethiopia would view the sky. The night
stars in the sky where you live will undoubtedly be different than
those seen in Ethiopia. Study the star patterns on the cover and see if
you can spot the differences between the night sky over Ethiopia and
the night sky where you live.
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Other Books with an immigration theme:
- Aliki. Marianthe's Story: Painted Words/Spoken Memories.Greenwillow, 1998.
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