No Place Like Home

Illustrated by Vanessa Cabban

Mole thinks that his burrow is small and dark and dull. So he sets off to find somewhere BIG and BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL instead. But finding the perfect home is not that simple.

"With a warm and satisfying conclusion, Jonathan Emmett has proved that he can write with clear insight and sympathy into the mind of young children and his books are filled with their sense of wonder."

INVERNESS COURIER

"A modern fable, infused with friendship and contentment ...
joy-filled, endearing and memorable."

THE ADVERTISER, BENDIGO AUSTRALIA

Read these reviews and others in full

Walker Books

UK Hardcover • ISBN: 0744592232

UK Paperback • ISBN: 1844285219

Candlewick Press

US Hardcover • ISBN: 076362554X

Click here for details of foreign language editions

Illustrations © 2005 Vanessa Cabban. Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd., London .

Bringing Down the Moon proved to be one of my most popular picture books and so its publishers, Walker Books, were keen for me to produce another story featuring Mole and his friends. 

However this proved difficult.  None of the plots I came up with seemed to be quite right for the characters*, so in the end I decided that I would stop worrying about it and concentrate on something else for a bit.

A while later, I came up with an idea for a story about a family of mice living in a farmyard.  The story began with the mice living comfortably in a hole in the wall of a barn. The family are not happy with their lot, so they set off on a journey around the farm in search of a new home.  But while they are able to find places that suit one or another of their requirements, there is always something else wrong with them.  And in the end they realise that the place best suited to them is their old hole.

However, before I had finished the first draft of the story, I realised that a similar plot would suit Mole's impetuous, aspirational character very well.  So I began rewriting the story around Mole and his friends.

In Bringing Down the Moon, Mole learnt that he couldn't possess the thing that he found attractive, but he could still enjoy its beauty.  In No Place Like Home Mole learns that the things he finds attractive aren't always suited to his real needs.  I think that's something that many people will have experienced, whether they're choosing a new home or a new pair of shoes.

These two cover illustrations demonstrate how Vanessa was able to fill the illustrations with the dominant colors of blue or green by moving the horizon line down or up.

One of the elements that helped to shape this second Mole story was that I had Vanessa Cabban's illustrations for the first book in my head.  Having a clear idea of what the characters and setting looked like was obviously useful, but another influence was the dominant use of the colour blue throughout the first book.  I thought it would be good to give Vanessa the opportunity to give this second book a different dominant colour, so the story is set in spring time when everything is green.**

The dominance of blue in the first book is chiefly a result of the illustrations' horizon line being pushed down so that most of the page is filled with the background of the blue night sky.  In this second book, Vanessa has cleverly pulled the horizon line up on many pages so that most of the illustration is filled with the foreground of green grass (as is well demonstrated by the two beautifully composed covers opposite).

As she did in the first book, Vanessa has extended the story beyond the text with a clever use of the endpapers, imprint and title pages.  I particularly like the final endpaper that shows the cosy glow coming from Mole's hole and the way that this echoes the glow of the sunrise on the initial endpaper.

* One of the stories I came up with was about Squirrel's frustrated attempts to make a huge dinner for Mole and his friends.  I subsequently reworked this story with other characters and it became What Friend's Do Best.  Although the story has an identical plot, the final version was about an inventor trying to build a space rocket.

** This colour theme will be continued with the third Mole book, A Diamond in the Snow, which is set in wintertime and has white as it's dominant colour.

	This book is for Robyn

Mole thinks his burrow is small and dark and dull. So he sets off to find somewhere BIG and BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL instead. But finding the perfect home is not that simple. Hedgehog suggests a hollow log. It’s certainly BIG, but too drafty for mole. Squirrel takes him up a tree where there is an old bird’s nest. It’s BRIGHT enough but too dangerous. Mole’s friends try really hard to find him a new home. But as a storm approaches there is only one place that will do. This is a delightful picture book for the under fives, the illustrations are lovely and the text is a joy to read aloud.

FAMILIES ONLINE

PreS-Gr 1. One morning, Mole decides that he is tired of living underground. He wants to live someplace that is "BIG and BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL instead." His friends, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and Squirrel, help him look for a new home, but he finds problems with each suggested location. In the end, Mole returns to his old home because it feels just right. Children will love these cozy characters, and Cabban's lush, grass-green watercolors are a perfect reflection of their world.

Kelley Rae Unger, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Mole is fed up living in a dark burrow underground and he goes looking for something better. "What about this hollow log?" asks hedgehog. It is too draughty. "What about this nest on the end of a branch?" asks squirrel. It is too dangerous. "What about this hollow beside the sparkling waterfall?" asks rabbit. It is too wet. "I know just the place," says mole and he takes hedgehog, squirrel and rabbit back to his small dark burrow underground. "It's so snug," says hedgehog. "It's so safe", says squirrel. "It's so dry," says rabbit. "Yes," says mole, "there's no place like home." A perfectly rounded story with simple dialogue for young children to share with each other.

Mike Maran, CAROUSEL

Have you ever wanted a new home? Join Mole as he searches for a new home in this charming, easy-to-read picture book. Mole's burrow is small, dark, and dull. Mole sets off in search of a new home. First, he meets Hedgehog. Mole tries to feel at home in Hedgehog's log, but the wind makes Mole cold. Next, Mole meets Squirrel. Mole tries to feel at home in Squirrel's nest, but he is too afraid of falling out. Mole continues his journey and meets Rabbit who takes him to a hollow beside a sparkling waterfall. But Mole gets splashed. Then it starts to rain. Mole leads the group back to his old home where he declares, "It's not big, bright, or beautiful but it feels just right to me." The text and illustrations of this book create a fabulous picture book story for young readers. Readers young and old will identify with the theme of recognizing that what we like is not always what we need.

Mindy Hardwick, CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

On the opening endpapers we see two paws and a nose emerging from the ground as Mole surfaces from his underground home to meet a beautiful, sunny day. This gives Mole cause to reflect on why he lives somewhere so dark and dull when he could enjoy so much better the brightness and beauty of the world if he lived overground. In his search for a new home he encounters Hedgehog, Squirrel and Rabbit, all of whom have suggestions for just the right home for Mole. But none of the suggestions is right, one choice is too draughty, another too dangerous, another too wet, and when it starts to rain Mole, at last, realises the 'there's no place like home!'. This is a simple story illustrated with a softish focus in bright spring-time colours framed by darker opening and closing endpapers. Likely to appeal to very young children, it is cheerfully reassuring, and will provide an introduction to 'home' as a topic, and to animals and life in the woodland.

Valerie Coghlan, BOOKS FOR KEEPS

Mole thinks his tunnel is small, dark and dull, so he sets off to find somewhere big, bright and beautiful instead. As he meets other woodland animals they invite him into their own homes, but none of them seems quite suited to his needs. At last Mole realises that his tunnel was just right for him, snug, safe and dry.
Emmett builds his story with repeated phrases, ideal for reading aloud and for child participation. He shows that dissatisfaction with things is often misplaced; we are really happiest with what is ours already. Cabban's illustrations are full of sunny woodland colours and humour (the expression on the hedgehog's face as it crosses the stepping stones is wonderful), ideally complementing the text.

BOOKTRUST

BEAUTIFUL watercolour illustrations, bold, chunky text and a lovely story make ''No Place Like Home'' a picture book most pre-school children will find hard to resist
This is the story of a little mole's quest to find a new home. Startled by a lovely spring morning, Mole decides that be would prefer to live somewhere Big, Bright and Beautiful instead of his small dark hole. Finding such a place, however, proves a daunting task, no matter how many animal friends lend a hand
With a warm and satisfying conclusion, Jonathan Emmett has proved that he can write with clear insight and sympathy into the mind of young children and his books are filled with their sense of wonder.

INVERNESS COURIER

One day Mole comes out of his burrow to see that the day is "BIG and BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL." He decides there and then that he needs a new home above ground where he can enjoy these wonderful gifts of nature and he sets off to find one.  Soon Mole meets his friend hedgehog who shows him a pleasant enough home in a log. The only problem is that the log is rather drafty. Mole decides that he needs someplace that is a little more "snug."   Mole meets up with several more friends who all suggest possible homes for Mole but when Mole goes to look at each of the potential homes he finds that there is something about each place that is just not right. Poor Mole begins to wonder if he is ever going to find a home that will suit him. Then the little velvety animal has a great idea and he finds a home that suits him perfectly.
   Mole's little adventure is beautifully illustrated in soft warm colors which capture the beauty of Mole's world. Mole and his friends are full of loveable appeal and the simple text makes the story easily accessible for very young children.

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW

Created for younger people, No Place Like Home is a modern fable, infused with friendship and contentment. Readers are introduced to Mole as the creature contemplates a new home - somewhere big, bright and beautiful. Early one morning, accompanied by his friends Rabbit, Squirrel and Hedgehog, Mole inspects the local woodland for a grander living space. For hours, the group venture in, around, and through, hollowed out logs, waterfalls and caves. Towards dusk, Mole finally decides on a home, but his companions notice something strangely familiar about the place … perhaps readers will too!
No Place Like Home is elegantly brought to life in light refreshing, shades, echoing an English summer's day. Through its simplicity, the story is joy-filled, endearing and memorable - making it a perfect gift idea.

THE ADVERTISER, BENDIGO AUSTRALIA

Is Mole’s burrow small, dark and dull? Or is it dry, safe and snug? It all depends on your perspective, as Mole discovers when he goes searching for a better home with the help of his friends Hedgehog, Squirrel and Rabbit and finds he can’t improve on the one he already has. This comforting story, with lively, expressive illustrations by Vanessa Cabban, is ideal for reading aloud to children of 4+.
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