A child finds comfort and safety in her “special place” in a bustling home. In the narrator’s multigenerational, multifamily Latine household, it can get crowded and uncomfortable. That’s why Abuelo has his workshop, where he keeps his tools; and Abuela has the kitchen, where her beloved radio plays next to her herb garden. María and Treicy, the girl’s cousins, prefer to play in the bedroom they share with their mom. Tía Imelda has the living room, where she watches telenovelas, and Mami’s special place is an armchair by the window, where she loves to read. Built by the girl’s bisabuela, the family home is decorated with photos of ancestors, many of whom once lived there as well. When the narrator climbs into the bed she shares with her mami, she feels as though she can hear “the house’s heartbeat,” the particular combination of sounds made by her family—both those living now, and “all the people who have lived and loved in this house.” She snuggles up with Mami, hearing Mami’s heartbeat. “That’s my special place.” This cozy, warm narrative celebrates the love and memories contained in a physical space.

From Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Laekan Zea Kemp comes a beautiful ode to family and multigenerational homes.



Everyone has their special place in the house. Abuela cooks in the kitchen. Mami reads by the window. Tía Imelda watches telenovelas in the living room. Abuelo tinkers around in his workshop. Even family members who have come and gone have had their special place. But what makes a house a home?



With lyrical prose and warm illustrations, this love letter to multigenerational and multifamily households will have readers listening for a heartbeat in their own homes.