Has your child ever cried because they didn't want to leave their home?
The old bedroom is empty. The familiar street is getting smaller in the car window. And your child is asking the question that breaks every moving parent's heart: "Will I ever feel at home again?"
You've promised it will be wonderful. You've talked about the new bedroom, the new park, the fresh start. But none of that reaches the part of your child that just wants things to go back to the way they were.
This book reaches that part.
Not Home Yet: The Day Leo Found His Window is the picture book that sits beside your child in the hardest moment of moving — not at the exciting new beginning, but in the empty room full of boxes, when nothing feels right yet. Tender, honest and quietly hopeful, this is the story that helps your child carry the sadness of leaving while opening their eyes to everything waiting ahead.
Meet Leo. Six years old. New house. New neighbourhood. His favourite toys are packed away, his old garden is gone, and his tummy feels heavy in a way he has no words for yet. Then Pip — his tiny, impossibly calm yellow bird companion — lands on a moving box beside him and says the one thing Leo actually needed to hear:
"I know. It's okay to feel this way."
Not "you'll love it here." Not "isn't this exciting?" Just — I know.
Together, Pip and Leo talk about what leaving really feels like. Saying goodbye to a bedroom. To a garden. To a street that knew your name. Pip gently reminds Leo that home isn't just a place — it's the people and the feelings he carries with him. And slowly, Leo begins to look up. He finds a sunny spot on his new windowsill — perfect for his favourite toy. He spots a boy next door who waves. He notices a park at the end of the street with the tallest climbing frame he has ever seen.
He isn't home yet. But something small and warm stirs inside him.
And on the last page, Leo looks directly at your child and says:
"I know you might be sad about moving. I was too. But home has a way of finding you. I promise."
That promise is the beginning of everything.
Why parents reach for this book on moving day:
- Validates the grief of leaving without minimising it — no "isn't this exciting" toxic positivity
- Shows children that sadness and hope can live in the same moment
- Leo's gentle discoveries give anxious children a realistic, trustworthy roadmap
- Closes with Leo speaking directly to your child — warm, honest and deeply reassuring
- Tender, beautifully illustrated scenes that mirror exactly what your child is experiencing
Perfect for: Children aged 4–8 facing a house move ● Reading together on moving day or the night before ● Children who struggle with change and goodbyes ● The most thoughtful gift any parent can give a child going through a move
Scroll up. Home has a way of finding you — and this book helps your child believe it.
