‘And earth for land that’s ours as far as we can see.’ Going Down Home With Daddy I pinch dirt and let it rain to the ground. ‘A pecan for the trees Pa planted and all of the kids love to climb.’

‘Cotton for the quilts Granny made to keep her children warm,’ I say holding a white cloud in my fingers. There is, a poetic nature to her prose, that shimmers in the details she provides. Her dialogue rings true to life and immerses you in the family gathering–from the gentle ribbing between cousins to the laughing and giggling that is easily present at a family reunion. ‘Can’t take them anywhere.’ Grandma Loretta says laughing. ‘Now I know you’re not talking about heads.’ ‘Got a head just like your daddy,’ Uncle Jay teases me.ĭaddy’s eyes twinkle.

With nothing more than a couple of sentences each, sometimes a single sentence, Lyons has the ability to define a character so clearly in your mind, that you can hear him as you read. We are visiting Daddy’s family, at the family home where the land stretches as far as the eye can see. Her characters come alive on the page, even in a scant picture book setting. Lyons has given me the opportunity to attend a family reunion, like one I’ve never experienced. A dad piles his family into a car and they drive down home to see great-grandma Granny and share in an amazing anniversary celebration where everybody shares something personal. And, I never see them.īooks like Lyons’ Going Down Home With Daddy, are a mystery to me. When my parents emigrated from Cuba, years before Fidel Castro came to power, they left behind the bulk of our family and, like seeds from a dandelion flower, floated gently until they settled in the United States. We head up the highway thinking about family and dreaming about next year. When we go down home with Daddy, everything we see holds a piece of him and us.

Going down home with daddy