Where's Jamela? by Niki Daly

36 p., Farrar, 2004.

Sometimes moving to a new house means leaving a home that you love. Jamela doesn't want to move to the new house that Mama has found, even though her Gogo (grandmother) is going to live there with them. She loves the old house, the street sounds, the smells of the neighborhood, and the stars she can see from her bedroom window. But Jamela works hard packing her things, and she gets so tired that she goes to sleep - in her packing box. When Mama's friends pack the family's things into their pickup truck, no one can find Jamela. They look everywhere, and finally call the police, before they discover Jamela, who has woken up, in her box. Everyone is happy to see her, and they celebrate with music and dancing, which Jamela correctly understands as "a going-away song." She begins to understand that even Mama is sad to leave their old home. But the new home is as nice as Mama had said it would be, and Jamela realizes that she hasn't lost the sky that she used to see from her old bedroom window. With its lively illustrations, this story will be a comfort to children who are sad to leave an old home for a new one.

Ages 5-8