You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks

by Evan Turk

Award-winning author and illustrator Evan Turk showcases the beauty and importance of the National Parks in this gorgeous picture book that takes readers on an amazing tour across the United States.

Beneath the soaring doorways of stone,
and peaks that pierce the ceiling of clouds,
from every river, star, and stone
comes the eternal
you are home.

In simple, soaring language and breathtaking art, acclaimed author-illustrator Evan Turk has created a stirring ode to nature and nation. From the rugged coast of Maine to the fiery volcanoes of Hawaii, You Are Home reminds us that every animal, plant, and person helps make this land a brilliant, beautiful sanctuary of life.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Childrens, Poetry, Nonfiction, Animals, Art

56 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2019

About the author

Evan Turk is an award-winning illustrator, author and animator living in Riverside, California, with his husband, Chris, and two cats, Pica and Bert. A graduate of Parsons: The New School for Design, his illustration and animation have been shown all over the world. He grew up in Colorado and loves nature and being outdoors. He continues his studies with Dalvero Academy, a private illustration school in New York City. Evan loves to travel all over the world and learn about other people and places through drawing and the interactions that come from it.

Evan speaks to kids and adults across the country and loves talking with them about storytelling and making art.

Reviews

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated ode to the our National Parks, featuring 26 from Maine to Florida and from Alaska to Hawaii. Evan Turk carried a sketch book while exploring with his brother and father, a Park Service employee for 40+ years, and used pastels on black paper, capturing scenery, wildlife or both. Turk's admiration for preservation of these sites is evident in his theme, but he does not shy away from some of the despicable acts of the Federal government in "appropriating" land from the local residents, in his afterword.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly preaching to the choir, I have to admit. If one is not predisposed to love this book, they may not appreciate the slightly awkward syntax and rhythm, or the creative artwork. Otoh, I enjoyed it, and would definitely share it with my children and students.

I especially appreciate the author's notes, including the Woke note about how the parks were often created by kicking out the Native peoples. (Not just the Black Hills, which I did know is sacred to those Nations living in the area. A good class lesson would be to look at how the other parks were established.)

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive picture book that is simply as the title states - an ode to the National Parks.
The author's pastel drawings are stunning, and show a deep appreciation of nature and all animal life.





An excellent reminder of all we stand to lose.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be listed as a candidate for the 2020 Caldecott awards. I read this with anticipation, because who isn’t excited to see a picture book about national parks? Unfortunately, I was disappointed after I read it. Many of the illustrations were too dark for my taste. I didn’t feel as though they gave off the beauty that the individual parks could really portray. Lastly, the text felt like it was rambling, in a poetic style, that didn’t engage me nor my child as we read it. Upon rereading the book, I did feel a stronger, cohesive flow to it, but I guess I’m sort of bummed that I didn’t like it more. Some of the art work was neat, though. My daughter and I like the page for Glacier National Park the best!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is beautiful! Even though the style of art isn't my favorite (though I do love the cover art and a few of the spreads inside), it is very effective. Touches on both the animals and people who are or feel at home in these national parks. I appreciate that both the text itself and the author's note make mention of the Native peoples who first lived on the land (as the author's note poignantly points out, many of these people were forced to leave the land when the parks were established).

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanksgiving family read-aloud picture book binge.

Okayish pictures and nothing words.

I set the book aside for several days unfinished because of all the tiny text in the end matter. When I finally go to it today, this little section was immensely more interesting than the rest of the book, giving a little overview of how several of the national parks were formed at the expense of and with ongoing disagreements with the indigenous people who were displaced. I wish the picture book had been about this substantial material instead of being just another string of landscapes with vaguely inspiring words dripped over the top.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so hard not to collect shelves full of picture books when you see one as beautiful and inspiring as this one. The national parks are depicted in bold, gorgeous strokes of color, and each illustration evokes a clear sense of place - at least, for the parks I've had the good fortune to visit (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, Glacier, Yosemite, Redwood, Rocky Mountain). The author/illustrator, Evan Turk, has a detailed note explaining his sense of home as well as the exclusion from "home" that the parks represented for some - how despite being a "place for all," America's Best Idea sometimes involved indigenous people being forcibly removed from their homelands, or being forced to sell them to the U.S. Government in order to make room for the parks. Then, immigrants, Buffalo Soldiers, and others labored to build the roads within the parks. He doesn't gloss over the darker aspects of the construction of the parks, but he definitely has an appreciation for their beauty, their symbolism, and their potential. A beautiful book, as informative as it is artistic.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars, an ode to America's national parks. The illustrations were breathtaking. I loved that author and illustrator Evan Turk included of the national parks in the United States and animals included in the book. If you're wondering which parks were not included, check out the map of the United States that shows them all.
People of many colors

[Jacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want the cast of Parks and Rec to do a dramatic reading of this book.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Evan Turk for this. You have brought together two of my favorite things in this world - National Parks and your art.

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Are Home by Evan Turk is exactly what I was hoping for when I began my search for books on natural America. My aim was to select several books that could foster a reader's appreciation for the beauty and variety of the country we claim as home. I guess I needed to look no further.

The refrain, "You are home," really drives home the message that this country, though varied in its geography, flora, and fauna, is truly home to us all. Children from many backgrounds will find themselves spoken to: "to the child whose family has just left its first footprints on new shores," "to the child whose ancestors lived on these lands before the stars and stripes took them as their own," "to the child in the city surrounded by windows, noise, and crowds," "to the child on the farm, surrounded by endless fields." All of us share a home in this country; no one person can claim it more than another. The pastel drawings depict national parks, from Sequoia to the Everglades to Hawai'i Volcanoes. If you are someone who does not normally read back matter, I urge you to read the author's note. Turk explains that although the national parks have been touted as places for all, they were created at the expense of the people already living on that land. Turk's endeavor with this book is "to speak not just to those who already love the parks, but to anyone who has felt that 'for all' didn't include them."

A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Evan Turk. From Acadia in the east to Olympic in the west, Turk presents an artistic and inclusive ode to America's national parks.

Turk's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and lyrical. In free verse that enumerates their natural riches, Turk pays homage to a number of parks with the incantatory refrain of the title. In consistently powerful spreads, the artist highlights the play of sun and shadow over mountains and canyons with fiery oranges, deep rusts and cobalts, and velvety black.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Simply put, it is an ode to the National Parks of the United States of America. Turk also acknowledges, more so in the backmatter, that the parks' establishment sometimes meant the removal of their indigenous inhabitants. Twenty-two National Parks from Yosemite and Yellowstone to Biscayne Bay appears in this magnificent picture book.

All in all, You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks is a masterful ode and love poem to the National Parks of the United States and reinforces the notion of being at home.

[Westminster Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

You Are Home takes the reader on a tour across the United States of many of our National Parks. With outstanding artwork that draws the reader in, one will also experience the variety of wildlife that call each park home. I wish there did not have to be any political agenda in some of the story, it would have been more powerful to keep it to the beauty of the scenery and wildlife. I did love the map at the end and the short informational paragraphs on the animals showcased. It made me want to add a few more places to my bucket list!

Find You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks at Westminster Public Library today!

And if you are in search of new books to read, try our services, What Do I Read Next. Our library staff are standing by to create a personalized recommendation list for you!

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A BEAUTIFUL picture book about all the living things that call different National Parks home. I really liked the powerful line for recent immigrants and First Nation Americans: "to the child whose family has just left its first footprints on new shores; to the child whose ancestors lived on these lands before the stars and stripes took them as their own: you are still home." This would make a great storytime book to introduce children to the different national parks. OR would be a great introductory book for a school unit on National Parks. Each breathtaking illustration has a note of which national park they were inspired from and inspires the reader to learn more about each of them. I highly recommend this book.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be ready for an adventure across the United States in this poetic book about all the different homes we find for plants, animals, and people. The artwork is so pretty and colorful as the words are a celebration of our National Parks. In the Author’s Note, Evan Turk shares that his father worked for as a Park Service employee for more than forty years! The illustrations for this book were rendered in pastel on black paper.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning illustrations are paired with a lovely ode to help each reader feel that they are at home at national parks. Turk also includes information about the national parks pictured as well as general information about national parks, their history and importance and information about how much of the land was dishonestly taken from Native Americans.

My favorite lines:
"but what keeps a home standing
can never be broken:
a sense of belonging,
sung by the streams,
from valleys to peaks,
over thousands of miles,
through millions of hearts."

[Abby Johnson]

STUNNING. With gorgeous, evocative art and simple but powerful text, Evan Turk pays homage to the National Parks and the wonder that they can evoke. This is a picture book welcoming everyone to visit and take care of our parks system. Maybe just as great as the text of the book itself is the author's note, which acknowledges the parks' troubled history as Native people were violently displaced from the land. It also mentions people of color and women who helped create and preserve the parks.

This would make an amazing gift, paired with a park pass or a commitment to go visit a National Park together (or a Parks passport!).

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The message is thoughtful and celebratory as in this one picture there are landscape portraits of many of the national parks with my two favorites being the large bison imposing on the page in one and the sequoias in another. As the subtitle explains, this is an ode to National Parks and how precious our natural areas are across the United States while the words inspire a sense of belonging-- nature belongs to all of us and all of us are home when we are in nature.

Gorgeous, gorgeous book from all angles.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful ode to America's National Parks. The illustrations are gorgeous, the text all inclusive from animals, Native Americans pushed off their land, to new immigrants.

Author's Note: Explains how his father has been a Park Service employee and his vivid childhood memories of trips to the National Parks. He also explains the Parks darker history. The threat to the parks today: "pollution, climate change and politics." Map included.

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am torn with this book. There is no story, just an ode to US National Parks. Like the author, I was taken to many of the National Parks as a child and I do have lasting memories of the wonder of some of them. The author takes great pains in the note at the end to acknowledge that the parks represent land that was stolen from indigenous peoples, often through violent, horrible means, but I'm not sure one spread in the actual picture book telling "the child whose ancestors lived on these lands before the stars and stripes took them as their own: you are still home" suffices. I don't know exactly what I mean by "suffices". I probably would have given the book more slack if the illustrations had moved me more, but the style doesn't appeal to me.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very dynamic and evocative illustrations. The end note from the author is an interesting and nuanced look at the history and meaning of the national parks in America, positive and negative. Loved it.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book about some of the national parks. The afterwood by the author is also telling

[Kaitlin Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated!

[Suzette Pereyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on a blog: pdbook.libraries.psu.edu/awards-conte.... I listened to it on YouTube.com. It is a gorgeous book with very large oil paintings of more than 20 of the National Parks in the U.S. They are all labelled. The poetry was also beautiful, with short verses of the nature and the people that may be living in or around the parks. I would highly recommend this book as a read aloud to students in grades K-3, or possibly even 4th grade if the U.S. states are being studied. At the end, the author explains more about the parks, how they came to be, and the conservation efforts that continue today.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

The memory of certain beauty, no matter how many decades pass, never leaves. When you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon gazing at the vista spread before you, you have to remind yourself to breathe. An early morning drive through the Great Smoky Mountains feels like you've entered another place in another time, a place when magic is possible. If you time it right, you'll be looking up more than one hundred feet as Old Faithful, a geyser, erupts in Yellowstone. Lupines as far as the eye can see, carpet a landscape in Rocky Mountain National Park. In the silence of a sunrise as the world awaits, the Grand Teton range stands like ancient sentinels, guardians of the world spread before them.

The designation of national parks throughout the United States protects diverse ecosystems. They provide protected spaces in a variety of geographic locations for more than 300 million visitors each year. You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks (Atheneum Books For Young Readers, June 4, 2019) written and illustrated by Evan Turk is a spectacular and intimate journey to twenty-three of the parks.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully illustrated story that showcases animals and other things you might encounter in a national park. However, we have many national parks scattered across this entire country and I wish authors would look at more than what I call the standards. Get out and actually explore all that the national park system has to offer!

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely got lost in the lyrical language that is a love letter to our National Parks. The Parks are meant to be welcoming to all, home for everyone. Animals and plants and flowers and visitors are celebrated in this story. You won't want to miss the author's note as Turk fully acknowledges that while the Parks are meant to be for everyone and welcome all, not all have felt welcomed. Also in the backmatter Turk talks about how much of the artwork was done while sitting in the Park and letting the life go on around him while he captured everything going on around him on black paper and pastels.
Also included in the backmatter is a map of the National Parks of the United States and the ones he included in this book.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not crying, you're crying. I loved this. I'm a huge National Parks lover (met my husband while we were both working as rangers!). This has lovely text about how the parks are home to the animals, but also home to people from all different backgrounds, and how natural spaces really are important to us. The illustrations were interesting, and at times indistinct, other times vibrant, and I enjoyed how many parks were highlighted.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book. Amazing! This story is a reminder of how important nature is and how anyone can find home anywhere. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, a must read for everyone!

[Allison]

Summary: This story encompasses the natural beauty and nature of our National Parks, and allows readers to feel at home within any part of the word they are in, because we all belong to this amazing place collectively. The text is made up of breathtaking illustrations of our well-known National Parks across the United States. You Are Home provides readers with the understanding that every living organism on this earth, animal, plant, or person makes up and helps makes this world a beautiful place to live and call home.

Evaluation: After reading this text, I felt a strong sense of importance for the land in which I live on. Although, the language within the story is simple, I found the words to hold much more depth, even though they are filled with limited text. The illustrations were absolutely breathtaking, and honestly made you feel as if you were actually standing on the land that was being displayed across the pages. I distinctly remember reading a page, that had a scene of an plain grassland, and the way in which the illustrations were drawn, made you feel as if you were laying in the grass, watching the gazelles race by. This particular text would be a great read-aloud text, for any grade level to enjoy or read independently.

Teaching Idea: As an educator, I would integrate this text within my classroom of content, by focusing upon the importance of imagery within a piece of literature. This particular text is filled with an abundance of imagery, that helps paint the picture of all the different National Parks and scenery that are showcased within the story. As an instructor, I would have an anchor chart, as we are reading the text aloud to the class and ask students to name some of the words that were used within the story to help paint the overall picture of the scene. Students will then be able to work independently and draw their own illustration of a National Park or scenery found within the United States, and write an Ode to their illustration, using words of imagery, similar to what we witnessed within the reading of the story.