About the Holiday
Founded in 1991, National Month of Hope encourages people to bring hope to those in need both emotionally and physically. Reaching out to let a family member or friend know you’re there for them no matter what they need, volunteering to help out in the community or on a personal level, and simply sharing a smile with those around you are all ways to show others you care.
Thanks to Harry N. Abrams for sharing a copy of this book with me!
Old Blue Is My Home
By Lita Judge
The young narrator introduces readers to Old Blue, her family’s faded and rusty-in-spots van, as they wait in traffic, stating that this beloved vehicle reliably transports them wherever they need to go, from town to the mountains and especially to out-of-the-way places where her family can “sit under the stars and eat warm soup before going to sleep.” Tucked in all together, the girl reveals, “Old Blue is my home.”
In the morning, Dad cooks breakfast on their camp stove, while she takes a shower courtesy of a plastic bag full of water hung from a tree. Inside Old Blue, there are nooks and crannies for all that they need, including a “cozy library” full of her “favorite books.” Rain or shine, she says, “Old Blue is my home.” Still, there are times when she yearns for permanence and community. “Sometimes,” she says, “living in Old Blue makes me feel like I’m from everywhere and belong nowhere.”
Text and illustration © 2025 by Lita Judge. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
Going to school is especially difficult as kids shun her unconventional living conditions and don’t include her. When she feels this sadness, she finds comfort and assurance cuddling with her mom and peace in nature. While the family hopes for a “forever home,” the girl appreciates everything Old Blue provides. Old Blue is her home.
Following the story, Lita Judge talks about her own childhood experience living a “nomadic existence in Alaska, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, California, and Wisconsin” as her family moved frequently, following her “father’s work in remote areas” that “led to housing insecurity.” She also describes the “rich relationship with nature” her upbringing fostered as well as the toll it took on her feelings of security, serenity, and community. Judge finally reveals how her imagination helped her cope while also fueling her desire to connect through her creative talents. Judge includes a discussion adults can share with their children that defines various types of Housing Insecurity and its risks, and encourages readers to offer help through their local organizations.
Text and illustration © 2025 by Lita Judge. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
While sharing her personal experience while growing up, Lita Judge’s moving tribute to her beloved non-traditional home connects all children through their common feelings, dreams, and close family ties. The narrator’s honest storytelling is compelling and heartfelt and will draw readers in, inspiring empathy and a better understanding of what many children face every day. Her repetition of “Old Blue is my home” can spark thoughtful consideration of what qualities actually make any dwelling a “home” rather than just a place to live in.
Judge’s rich watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are infused with warmth, love, and togetherness. Children will relish the realistic portrayals of the family’s lifestyle and their facial expressions as well as the meticulous images of the van’s interior spaces that embrace the family’s necessary supplies, childhood comforts, and cherished pets.
Offering empathy and understanding for those experiencing housing insecurity as well as a touching look at family bonds, Old Blue Is My Home is a must addition to school and public libraries and home collections.
Ages 4 – 8
Harry N. Abrams, 2025 | ISBN 978-1419771521
About the Author/Illustrator
Lita Judge is the award-winning author-illustrator of many children’s books, including Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends, The Wisdom of Trees, Born in the Wild, Flight School, Red Sled, and her illustrated young adult novel, Mary’s Monster, as well as the illustrator of Forty Winks: A Bedtime Adventure, written by Kelly DiPucchio. She lives with her husband, three cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire.
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