Very cute story about a sister and her brother waiting for their dad to come home and a little bit about what that’s like for them. It shows how much the kids love their father and what they do to get ready for him.
While is a kids book. I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of what is going through these kids heads? how long has it been since they last saw their father? While they are excited, is there anything that they are maybe a little bit nervous about? How much do they understand? I think, addressing some of these questions would be helpful for children who have parent in the military and show that they aren’t alone so that the children in the book are the same as them make it more relatable.

Through a child's eyes, Finally Home delves into the profound impact of military deployments on familial bonds and the resilience of love. The book is an opportunity to peek into the world of military families, into the sacrifices made not just by service members, but by the children who count days on calendars and the spouses who hold families together across continents. The book is a sensitive and empathetic chronicle of the everyday courage of the military families who learn to thrive despite separation. It stands as a powerful reminder that behind every service member's uniform beats the hearts of those who wait, hope, and love unconditionally – the true champions of military life.

This book is about two children who are going to see their dad. Their father is in the military. It’s been days, weeks, months, maybe years. This is about the excitement of the time to run out and greet your relative you haven’t seen in a while. I remember these times. We may not have done it in a hanger on the base, almost always an airport, but not always. But this rings completely true. The Navy brat me knows it. The illustrations are unusual. They are an old-fashioned style that might not speak to modern kids. I think the artist needs more practice. The arms, especially on women, are funny, and a lot of time so is the coloring. Overall, the book is fine and I’m happy that something like this exists. But at the same time this was made for niche audience.

This was such a cute and heartwarming book! Sara is anxiously waiting all day for her daddy to come home in this delightful book for little kids. The words fit the story perfectly and the pictures were cute. 4/5 stars!

With April coming up soon as the Month of the Military Child and May as Military Appreciation Month, this seems a good time to share this review. It's a touching tribute to the military. That definitely includes family members. Told through the eyes of a pilot's young daughter, the book nicely captures the depths of sacrifice and love that military families endure in the service to their country. The text is easy to read yet captures the growing sense of anticipation as the children await Daddy's return. You may find yourself about to burst with joy yourself as the jets land and methodically disembark.

Special kudos to illustrator Tim Deberd. Largely using soft, comfortable, let's say cozy feeling colors, he uses many little touches throughout that bring to life the old cliche of "a picture is worth a thousand words". I won't mention them all but standouts for me were the calendar on the wall with the days X'd out as the big day approaches and the eager faces of a child leaning out of a vehicle as it approaches the checkpoint to enter the base for the reunion. There even seems to be dust kicked up by the children's energetic run to their father when he finally steps from the plane. Though focused on one family, the sense of joy on the faces will make you smile. Enjoy spying these little touches as you read and enjoy the lovely illustrations. Children are often overlooked when it comes to discussions of family sacrifice, so it was a delight to see Cino focus on them.

Bottom line, it's surely obvious I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Well thought out and executed with touching, meaningful illustrations, it offers a sort of thank you to all who serve, families included. My sincere thanks to #WhimspireBooks and author #CortneyCino for sharing this book with me early. It was truly a delight and living in Alaska, a state with a heavy military presence, quite relevant to this day and age. I loved the final picture of the united again family having fun around the dinner table.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and the author for this book. And anyone else who was involved in making this book happen. I thought this was such a cute and emotional book. I know what its like to wait for military loved ones to return home. My husband was in the military and waiting was never the fun part it was day he returned home. The day he came home I always greeted him with a hug and told him to never leave me again. This book brought emotion in it for me to read it about a family waiting for the dad to come home. Making pictures dressing up excited as ever to see the face of their loved one. Even though its meant for kids and the market is kid and family friendly I still enjoyed such a beautiful story about the love we have for our family when they return home in the military I cant wait to get a copy myself this only made me want to share it with more then just my family. I recommend highly recommend this book not just for people in the military but a family because it shows love a family has for each other. I wish I could rate this higher then a 5 star. More books like this please!!

Aw, sweet! I love books about military reunion and this was a heart-warming glimpse at a father's return through a little girl's eyes. I'm not sure if there were lgbtq+ couples in the illustrations, (there may have been) but besides that I thought the illustrations were beautiful.

This is such a great book for the younger kids whose parents are deployed and coming home soon.
As a military spouse I have read a lot of these types of books but this one has great illustrations and captures those little moments of the day of.

I do believe that some of the backgrounds on the pages were too close to the white font color. using a dark font would make it more readable, especially on a screen, but other than that a great concise story.

In this sweet story, Sara finally gets to see her dad after he’s been deployed for six months. The book walks us through her nervous energy as she joins all the other military families awaiting their reunion.

Why Kirsten loves it
I love the retro-inspired illustrations in this story, but I dare anyone not to get choked up when the Marine Corps parents are reunited with their families.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

This is a beautifully written and drawn picture book about the day a girls daddy comes home for leave from the Air Force. The girl and her mom and brother make signs and wait in a long line for the time to come for dad to be home. It's quite a spectacle but fun and exciting day. The book ends with the dad getting out of the plane and the kids running to him when they get the all clear. I wonderful story for kids who are waiting their parent coming back and to prepare them for what might happen.

I loved this picture book about Sara waiting to welcome her dad home from a deployment. I especially that her dad is a Marine. Growing up a Marine Brat I which picture books like this existed when I was kid. But I'm glad that exist now.

Finally Home is a great book for military families who are experiencing similar situations as the children in this book as their dad is away. The children and their mom are excitedly awaiting for the dad to come home after serving. It is unknown how long the father has been gone but the children clearly have missed him. The book is a big thank you to those who serve and the military families who also give up much as well.

Cino wrote "Finally Home" as a way to honor her own family's experiences. The book's dedication speaks to that. "To all who serve our country - thank you. With deepest gratitude, Finally Home is dedicated to you. To their families - especially the littlest ones - thank you."

"Finally Home," is a beautifully illustrated picture book, with illustrations by Tim Deberd. It details one family's experience with their father/husband returning home from deployment.

Told from the young daughter's perspective, we follow the family as they make signs, get dressed up, try to get on the base, and wait and wait for dad until their beautiful reunion.

To me, this book is a tribute to the sacrifice made by military families. How difficult it is for a parent to be away and how joyful the reunions are.

I would recommend this book for any child, but especially a child growing up in a military family to know that he or she is not alone in their life experiences.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful book -- beautiful text and beautiful illustrations -- celebrating the homecoming of the family's service member daddy/husband. I absolutely enjoyed this entire book and will be recommending it to military families that I know. This is an important and special one for sure! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a huge thank you to Cortney Cino, Whimspire Books, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

This is the second book I have read by Cortney Cino in the past week, and the contrast is vast. I found this book to be an exquisite read that was perfect in every way. I loved the full-page illustrations that had a sepia vibe about them. I loved the anticipation the story built. And I love how the whole book came together.

I think we have all seen clips of military parents showing up to surprise their children after a long tour away. This book captures the build-up, the excitement, the anxiety, and the rush of love that comes with such a meeting. I felt the character and took her into my heart from the start. By the end, I shed a tear because of the sheer beauty Cortney had displayed on these pages.

Whilst written as a medium for aviation lovers and military families, I think it is a useful tool to share with young children whose parents don’t go away for a long time, that don’t fight for king and country and need a lesson in empathy and diverse family dynamics.

There was not a single thing to criticize about this book. I think youngsters would find it interesting. The length is suitable for the 3-8-year-old target audience. I can’t recommend this book enough, but I will start by awarding it 5 out of 5 stars.

Finally Home is a heartfelt story about a young girl eagerly awaiting her father’s return after six months overseas. As someone from a military family with a significant other, I loved how accurately it captured the emotions and traditions of a deployment homecoming—making signs, dressing in patriotic outfits, and counting down the days. The simple, age-appropriate storytelling and beautiful illustrations bring the experience to life, making it perfect for young readers, especially those with military families. A touching tribute to the love and sacrifice of service members and their families.

I received a free copy of Finally Home by Cortney Cino from Whimspire Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

As someone coming from a military family with a significant other, this book was incredible at explaining and depicting the events thats leading up to a deployment homecoming. From making the signs, the patriotic outfits, to the countdowns to the day leading up to the homecoming, this book depicted at an age appropriate level the realities that children, and families face with military deployments and homecomings. The emotions, the butterflies in the belly of the kids felt almost real with how descriptive this book was. One thing I will say, the illustrations and how they captured each important event made this book seem so surreal.

To me, the timeline of events and emotions and all things surrounding the the homecoming were correctly depicted for smaller children who wait patiently, but nervously for their service member parent(s) to come home. I believe any age of child, especially elementary school aged children with parents in the service will enjoy reading this book to prepare themselves for the homecoming!

Such a wonderfully written and illustrated story that conveys the emotions and beauty of loved ones in the military returning home!

Touching story with vintage looking illustrations. This is a great book for families that have husbands that are in the military, showcasing how they are welcomed back home.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC!

Lovely book reflecting the hope & love of troop returns from deployment to their families. Definitely aimed at the US market, not reflective of UK troop deployment & returns.