Publication Date: May 6, 2025
The butterflies in seven-year-old Sara’s belly are fluttering fast. Her family is reuniting today after more than six months apart. But the hours drag on, testing her patience.
The crowds in the hangar finally learn that the planes will land soon. Which one is Daddy’s? Will I recognize him? Sara wonders as she watches the tiny gray dots finally come into view. Sara chronicles the day’s events, highlighting the unbreakable bonds of family and the strength of community.
Finally Home by Cortney Cino is set in an average American home within a few hours of time. However, this isn’t an average day for the family depicted, nor are the hours uneventful. It is the day a military aircrew will return home after a more than six-month deployment.
Young Sara is the narrator who describes the waiting, the preparation, the longing, and her nervousness. The nuances of the writing will appeal to a wide age range of children anticipating the return of a deployed parent.
Sara decorates cupcakes and adds details to a poster. Her older brother is seen in the background as having more responsibility, like washing the truck. Meanwhile, Sara’s mom sets the tone with measured excitement, answering the repeated question, “Is it time?” The illustrator, Tim Deberd, shows the strength of the adults by the way they stand back, even as the service men and women step forward. The children rush ahead. They are the focus of this story.
The chronicle of arrival day allows for a model of feelings of anticipation for children. It also shows patience, restraint, and maturity as the children follow the guidelines of waiting at the hangar when their parents are within sight.
Finally Home portrays a child’s point of view of anticipating the arrival of a deployed parent. Cortney Cino’s description of emotions and Tim Deberd’s illustrations will both validate a child’s patience and describe for children the slow-moving time until that longed-for hug of reuniting.
Cortney Cino is the author of The Lights That Stay, Sincerely, Antonia, Finally Home, and the Piper’s Adventures series. With a background in marketing, she now writes and publishes children’s books full-time. Her experiences living in Washington, DC; Boston, MA; and Morehead City, NC, where her family was stationed with the military, have all influenced her writing. Cortney currently lives with her husband and three daughters in Northern California. For more information, visit www.whimspirebooks.com.
Tim Deberd lives in Uzbekistan and works with publishers around the world. He loved drawing throughout his childhood and started attending art school at seven, where he gained extensive knowledge in fine arts. After graduating high school, Tim entered Uzbekistan’s only art college. He finds it fascinating to bring words to life in illustrations.
Thanks, Sandy, for the lovely review!