Yard Sale [Paperback]

“While the topic of moving is covered in a multitude of picture books, this one looks at it from a difficult perspective that most authors choose to avoid or gloss over.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Almost everything Callie’s family owns is in their front yard — their furniture, their potted flowers, even Callie’s bike. They can’t stay in this house and are moving to a smaller apartment where most of their things won’t fit, so today they are having a yard sale. With sensitivity and grace, Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo portray an event at once familiar and difficult, making clear that a home isn’t about what you have, but whom you hold close.While the topic is an extremely tough one, Bunting tackles it with her usual grace and poise. The clear and concise writing is a wonderful choice for the subject matter. ... A vital purchase for collections everywhere.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Callie's first-person observations reveal her distress, while poignant watercolor-and-ink illustrations reinforce her emotions through deft use of white space, color washes and strong outlines that capture postures and facial expressions. Images of forlorn Callie surrounded by a yard full of possessions, sad Callie hugging Sara, distraught Callie grabbing her bike and Callie's parents comforting her visually tug the heart. A simple, moving tale of a family in transition.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Castillo’s (Nana in the City) gentle scenes soften the family’s sadness.... Bunting captures the way loss can take a family’s possessions while leaving their love for each other intact.
—Publishers Weekly

...a quietly domestic, visually accessible style that offers a feeling of stability, which helps cushion the sadder implications of the story. It’s useful to have a story where moving may be no advlX