HOME AT LAST

A poignant, timely, and universal picture book about fear, adoption, and the joy of fatherhood written by award-winning author Vera B. Williams and illustrated by Vera and two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka.

After Lester is adopted from his foster home by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, he has a big problem—he can’t fall asleep in his new bed. Night after night he creeps into his parents’ room and trys to crawl in between his two daddies, confident that if he’s with them nothing bad can get him. But every night, Lester’s dads wake up and walk him back to his own room, hoping that eventually Lester will get used to the new house and his new family. They buy him a new bike and take him for strawberry ice cream. But no matter how happy Lester seems during the day, every night he still makes the trek from his own room to his daddies’. It’s their sweet dog Wincka who finally solves the problem when she climbs into Lester’s bed and promptly falls asleep, serving as both his pillow and his guard throughout the night. Lester feels home at last.

A heartfelt, universal, and important story about the power of family by two award-winning picture book creators. Though Lester’s new family is untraditional, the universal themes of love, fear, and fatherhood create an accessible story about the different ways to define family.

Vera B. Williams graduated from Black Mountain College in North Carolina with a degree in graphic art. Her first children’s book, It’s a Gingerbread House, was published in 1978, and since then she has written and illustrated many award-winning and beloved books. Two of her books have been selected as New York Times Best Illustrated Books and seven have been ALA Notable Books. Two have won Caldecott Honors; two, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and two, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors. Vera B. Williams lived in New York City and Narrowsburg, New York.
Chris Raschka has illustrated more than 30 books for children. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal for The Hello, Goodbye Window and A Ball for Daisy, and his 1994 book Yo! Yes? received a Caldecott Honor. He was also the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2012. Chris Raschka lives in New York City.