From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2–Gwyn's family moves from Vancouver to a new home on a salt marsh at Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. The mildly told story opens with their arrival and follows Gwyn's transition over her first six months there. The child, a sad, stubborn objector to her displacement, grows into a satisfied and grateful participant in her new environment. The steps in her adjustment are juxtaposed with the naively positive, indiscriminately enthusiastic energy of her younger sister, Linden. Overcoming disappointments, developing flexibility, and releasing doubts are elements of a relatively mature child's adjustment.
My Home Bay's strong point is its recognition and development of this fact, a tribute to the hard work children of Gwyn's age must perform. The story is enriched by a sweet and trusting interaction between the sisters as they travel their respective paths to peace in their new home. Gwyn has exacted three promises of her parents before agreeing to the move: fiddle lessons (quickly granted), a tree house (built by Mom and Dad in the autumn), and a horse (she gets an aquarium of sea horses at Christmas). At the fulfillment of the third promise, Gwyn belongs to Mahone Bay. Watercolor illustrations are pale and a little out of focus, sometimes achieving a positive dreamy effect, sometimes seeming washed out and leaving facial expressions obscure. Some paintings have a static appearance, as if posed. Overall, though, this agreeable tale contributes a useful perspective to the high demand for picture books about moving.
–Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
PreS. Gwyn is angry and upset when she has to move with her family from Vancouver to Mahone Bay, from west coast to east, "across the second largest country in the world." She "only agreed" because Mom and Dad made her three special promises. The simple words express her sense of dislocation ("In the night, our room echoes with loneliness . . . no friends next door, no
whoosh of cars"), while the double-page watercolor spreads show her slowly making friends and having fun in her new home. The sulky kid in a loving family will strike a chord with many preschoolers who feel swept up in grown-ups' plans; so, too, will Gwyn's sense of wonder and adventure.
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
