Coming On Home Soon by Jaqueline Woodson won the Caldecott Honors award in 2005 for its amazing illustrations. The very talented E.B. Lewis is the mind responsible for putting Woodson's words to life.The bulk of the story takes place in the dead of winter. Lewis uses water colors to portray the bleakness of winter that couple with the descriptive language to paint a colorful mental image for the reader.
In this story, the little girl, Ada Ruth is saddened when her mama is forced to leave home to seek work in Chicago. She is left with her grandma as she awaits her mother's return.
Lewis portrays the raw emotion expressed throughout the story through his portrayal of the character's facial expressions, body language and stature. E.B. Lewis' illustrations parallel the tone of the story, that of sadness, loneliness but also hope.
The illustrations in this story serve to enhance the overall meaning and appeal of this text. For this reason, it is quite evident as to why this illustrator was recognized for his achievement in 2005. Every detail (quite crisp) and color selection (somewhat muted) serves the overall tone of the text. It also serves to help me make meaning of the text because I can use the pictures to build schema about the character and time period if I am unfamilliar with this time and the circumstances that make the main character hopeful, yet somewhat sad.
I especially loved this story because I could identify closely with the little girl, despite never having been in a situation comparable to hers. The text and illustrations are crafted in such a way to draw in any reader, not just those who have withstood similar hardships or emotions. It is evident that E.B. Lewis was able to feel the true emotion exposed by Woodson through her relevant and detailed illustrations. Both compliment each other so beautifully! What an impressive pair! Again, I also love incorporating stories written and illustrated by minority storytellers and artists, particularly because it allows access to a wider range of audiences and it increases the diversity within a library collection. This particular tale is quite unique in its perspective and content (it covers some very heavy themes around a dark time period for many African Americans). All students could benefit from reading a text such as this that is beautifully crafted and similarly illustrated.
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