Coming Home [Hardcover]

Longing carries a lone robin home for Christmas in a tender, universal tale that will resonate with families anticipating a joyful holiday reunion.

A plucky robin, lost and alone, sets out on an epic journey, guided only by a call in his heart saying “come home!” He wills his wings to beat faster, lifting him over great mountains and dark forests, through blinding blizzards and rolling fog, across the wide, wild sea. Can he find his way back to his family in time for Christmas? Combined with Kerry Hyndman’s striking illustrations of the red-breasted bird against a sweeping, snowy terrain, Michael Morpurgo’s poetic narrative will stir any reader who has ever yearned to reunite with loved ones or welcome them home.A robin travels alone for many miles to reach his mate by Christmas. In beautifully poetic language, Morpurgo portrays the urgency of the bird's longing to return home...A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In this sophisticated story with a tangential holiday theme, understated text and art follow a Scandinavian robin on its annual Christmastime migration from its northern homeland to Britain...Digitally composed pictures by Hyndman (Survivors) feature a cool palette (save the robin’s scarlet breast) and position crisp, lifelike images of birds against more abstract, loosely drawn natural backdrops.
—Publishers Weekly

The pictures, with varying perspectives, enable readers to more easily understand the hazardous conditions faced by the small bird. The robin’s return home, which has been anticipated by more than just his mate, makes for a satisfying addition to holiday collections.
—Booklist

This poetic tale leads us on an amazing journey.
—Story Monsters InkMichael Morpurgois an Officer of the Order of the British lĂ+