clockwise: Katrina Chen, Delphie Côté-Lacroix, and Elaine Su.

A Stronger Home is both a heart-wrenching and a hopeful picture book that addresses domestic abuse and leaving home to find safe shelter. A boy and his mother hide from the storm in their house – an unseen menace that frightens them with the “rattle of his fists on the wall,” and “the thunder of his yelling.” The mother compares the rages to the typhoons she encountered as a child living in East Asia. When the menace is gone, the mother and her son leave, as the mother explains it is time for a new, “stronger” house. 

They stay in many new places together, each time a little farther away, but sometimes the boy misses his original home and the toys and belongings he left behind. His mother explains to him that “[o]ur home is always inside us, in our heartbeats.” Eventually, the two are able to return to their old home and neighbours are shown helping to clean and reorganize the space for a new beginning. The bond between the mother and son is depicted as nurturing and protective, and the love between them is obvious.

Illustration: Delphie Côté-Lacroix.

The story, co-written by Katrina Chen and Elaine Su, is affecting and realistic, with the focus placed on the strong bond between mother and son rather than on the abuser. While the topic is a challenging one to approach with children, the text is age appropriate.

Chen is a survivor of family violence, and as she explains in her author’s note, her intention is to show how moving from home to home can be a crucial part of a family’s safety plan. Delphie Côté-Lacroix’s tender illustrations are rendered in shades of purple, pink, and white, a palette that helps the reader feel calm and in control while reading about a tense situation that could be frightening to young readers. More importantly, the story never feels scary or overwhelming because of the mother’s strength and love.