This story nearly made me want to cry - and then it made me hungry.
Looking at the end pages, we see that Jun and her family move from Hong Kong to a suburban American town. Jun eagerly sets off for her first day of school, but her big smile fades as the day progresses. There are so many new things. But, at lunchtime, she opens her lunchbox and she is filled with comforting memories of family and friends and happy times. Each day is pretty much the same, loneliness, but also joy at lunch. Until one day, classmates and Jun are brave enough to reach out to each other. They share food and become friends.
This book of few words depicts how difficult it is to move to a new home, start in a new school, and how isolating it feels when communication is difficult. The beautiful illustrations convey both Jun's sadness and her joy. Home in a Lunchbox is similar in theme to Gibberish by Young Vo. I appreciate that Jun's lunch is a source of joy and comfort to her, rather than being something that further isolates her from the other children at school. I also love how Mo shows the power of sharing food to bring people together. At the end of the book, there is an illustration of Jun's lunch box and a brief description of the foods in it. That made me want to try it all!
This is a great book for the beginning of a new school year, or anytime, to help children (and all of us) develop understanding for those who are new in our community.