Official Review: Why Can't Uncle Come Home?

Post by **Annelore Trujillo** » 08 Feb 2018, 12:18

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Why Can't Uncle Come Home?" by Christiane Joy Allison.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Why Can’t Uncle Come Home? is a children’s book written by Christiane Joy Allison and illustrated by Liz Shine. The book is about 5-year-old Timmy and his family as they learn to deal with the wrongful conviction of his uncle. The story starts out with the family all spending time together. Timmy notices something is up when his aunt and mom start talking about something called a trial. He is told that the kids have to stay home because it is not a good place for children. After days of this trial, Timmy’s parents come home crying and tell him that his uncle has to go to jail. Timmy doesn’t want his uncle to go and doesn’t understand why he can’t just come home. Will he ever be able to come to terms with this event?

This book is based on true events in the lives of the author and illustrator. The author wrote this story around the questions that her niece and nephew had when their uncle was wrongly convicted. At the end of the book, the author included a note to parents with this information as well as some statistics on wrongful conviction in the United States. It made me realize that it is a real problem, and children are affected by it. The author wrote this book to help those kids.

The message of this book was very impactful, and the author did a great job of getting it across. It is definitely not an easy topic to sit and explain to kids. The author dealt with it personally, so she is the perfect person to write a book that does the explaining. She used an amazing metaphor to get the idea of a wrongful conviction across in a way that kids could easily relate to. I don’t want to spoil the book by writing the metaphor here, but I was very impressed at how relative it was.

Not only was the message portrayed well, but the book was also very well-written. It was at a great level for kids between the ages of 4 and 10. The little ones could have it read to them, and the older ones could read it with a little guided help. The vocabulary was right at their level with just a few words that would really need some explaining, such as “innocence” and “conviction”. Because of the nature of the story, those words are unavoidable. With the level and flow of this book, parents can really focus on the message with their kids instead of the difficulty of the book.

The illustrations of this book were also great. They were the icing on the cake. Each one had great detail and perfectly matched the part of the story it was correlated with. The text was interspersed throughout the pictures in a great overall format. It all tied together perfectly.

There is nothing to critique about this book. It deserves nothing less than 4 out of 4 stars. It took a difficult topic and put it into a relatable, easy-to-read story. I would suggest this book to any families that are dealing with the issue of wrongful conviction or to parents and educators that just want to teach children about this important topic.

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Why Can't Uncle Come Home?
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Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 09 Feb 2018, 02:48

It's really great to see a first-hand experience account on this incident. Not only does this offer an accurate picture, it also gives a good point to the reader in how to handle difficult situations specially when the kids are involved. Thanks!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 09 Feb 2018, 08:16

Wow! I don't think that's a message I've seen in a children's book before. I'm glad it was done well. I think it's great that the author wrote it based on real-life events. I hope it helps some children struggling with something similar out there! Thanks for introducing this one to us!

Jomarpacaldo · Post by **Jomarpacaldo** » 09 Feb 2018, 10:01

It's a kind of story that very realistic in which its happening nowadays, but I think its hard for a very young children to understand such that kind of things.

Mercelle · Post by **Mercelle** » 09 Feb 2018, 10:38

I like that the author presents such a heavy subject matter to children but does it in a consumable manner.

JusCally · Post by **JusCally** » 09 Feb 2018, 14:05

I think picture books are a wonderful medium for expressing complex and painful truths to children, though it's incredibly hard to break down heavy material in a way that a child will not only understand but internalize without being afraid.

This sounds like a great book for introducing concepts relating to the justice system, and especially to help families dealing with incarceration.

MsTri · Post by **MsTri** » 09 Feb 2018, 23:33

This sounds like a gem of a book. And it's all-the-better because it's based on real-life events. I also love children's books that have important lessons and this one tackles a pretty heavy subject for a child, doing it well. I don't have any children in my life for whom it would be relevant, but I think I'd like to read it just for my own fortification. Thanks for the introduction!

jaylperry · Post by **jaylperry** » 11 Feb 2018, 14:26

I'm glad to see authors writing about difficult subjects like this in a way that is accessible for young readers. In a way it reminds me of the old Mr. Rogers books about divorce, moving away, or dealing with divorce. Thank you for reviewing this book!

Cristina Chifane · Post by **Cristina Chifane** » 15 Feb 2018, 08:31

Thank you for a wonderful review. The topic is indeed very interesting and I would definitely be interested in reading and seeing for myself how the author managed to make it appropriate for children.

Lincolnshirelass · Post by **Lincolnshirelass** » 15 Feb 2018, 08:40

An excellent review, and this seems like a very brave book for managing to present a subject like this in child-friendly terms. But often I think they can cope with difficult issues better than we give them credit for.

LanieTaj · Post by **LanieTaj** » 18 Feb 2018, 03:03

I think i'm gonna consider reading this one. I'm curious on how the author wrote this book that the children may understand. I'm also happy that the author consider the children as her main reader because most of the books nowadays are more on romance.

Cheriy · Post by **Cheriy** » 18 Feb 2018, 08:57

I think it's a very good book ,would like to read it

AoifesReview · Post by **AoifesReview** » 19 Feb 2018, 10:22

Excellent review! I have to admit I'm fascinated with the entire concept of this book. Most Children's books, while educational, tend to focus on more lighthearted topics. This is an extremely niche theme but is one that I am sure is experienced by many children around the world. It's brilliant to see writers approaching incredibly complex and 'adult' issues and turning them into something that a child can understand, relate to and grow from. I also liked that, as you said in your review, there was a little bit of challenging vocabulary that parents may need to assist with. That just adds to the educational element of the book in my opinion.

KFree_Reads · Post by **KFree_Reads** » 22 Feb 2018, 09:42

This seems like the first of its kind. I cannot recall seeing any book of this nature anywhere. I must commend the author for writing about a very serious, sometimes traumatic experience, especially for the little ones affected, in a way that is palatable for the reader (and listener). It is great that she has found a way to help those who may have been affected by this situation, cope better and understand things that parents sometimes find it hard to explain to their children. We live in a society that is shaped by the notion that "if we don't talk about it, you'll get over it" and how very wrong we are. I really enjoyed reading your review, you did an amazing job!