Title: Where Is My Home?
Author: Joan Romney Groves
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 9781546217008
Pages: 42
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Erica Diamond

Read Book Review

 

Buy on Amazon

Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit

Confucius is credited to have said, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.” In Where Is My Home, author Joan Romney Groves recounts an adventure of a kitten named Sonic who unintentionally embarked upon a 30 mile journey over a time period of 9 months in order to find its way home; which seems impossible yet is the basis of this true story.

Brooke and her brother Danny’s cat had a litter of four kittens. They were named Shadow, Sonic, Tiger and Timberwolf. All of the kittens became playful except for Sonic, who hissed instead of meowed, and at one point scratched Danny when he picked the kitten up. Each of the kitties found new homes, but nobody wanted Sonic because it wasn’t good being around children, so Danny’s mom brought Sonic to a farm to live in a barn with other animals. This began Sonic’s adventure of trying to find its way back home.

As the cats already in the barn were unwelcoming to Sonic, it went outside when it came across a Killdeer bird with a broken wing. As it turned out, the bird was faking its broken wing to distract the cat away from its nest. A variety of other animals were not very friendly to Sonic out in the wild. A weasel nipped at Sonic; a skunk sprayed its putrid smell at him; wolves howled and even a human fisherman scoffed Sonic away when he tried to eat some of the fish lying on the side of the lake. Meandering; seeking the home Sconic missed, he wandered into a metropolitan area in which he now had to dodge traffic, eat scraps out of garbage cans and seek shelter. As it was getting cold, Sonic cuddled up in a Church’s Nativity scene one night, which felt very good. Onward on Sonic’s trek brought him into springtime and by some form of a miracle back to the house he and his littermates were born in. When Danny exclaimed, “Sonic is back! Can we keep him?” his mother thought it was impossible, but there he was. Fortunately Sonic lost his “feral attitude” and became a purring, lovable cat. This book has a wonderful happy ending to an exciting adventure.

Now I am not being a “spoiler” by telling the story’s plot, because the main theme of the book is the journey. Groves takes extraordinary liberty imaging the other animals and incidents which might have occurred along Sonic’s journey home. The book fills the imagination of children with a diverse cast of characters; all living their animal lives in the outdoors. The world is not always a friendly place in the animal kingdom and the safety and shelter of home is something not to be taken lightly.

Complete with a collection of amazingly detailed illustrations, Where Is My Home? is a book destined to become a favorite among children growing up. A combination of morals, adventures and a maternal overtone of love, every child will be captivated by this book – and what’s not to love about a book with a kitten as the protagonist?