Ada Ruth stays with her grandmother while her mother heads up to Chicago to work. Although she feels at home with grandma, Ada Ruth misses her mother terribly. She keeps waiting for the letter from her that tells them she will be “coming on home soon.”As the days go by slowly, Ada Ruth begins to realize that her grandmother misses her mother as mush as she does. Set during World War II, Jacqueline Woodson’s poetic text is filled with longing, while E. B. Lewis’s realistic watercolor paintings give a sense of the immense loneliness both Ada Ruth and her grandmother feel. Honor Book, 2005 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 5–8)

Ada Ruth's mama must go away to Chicago to work, leaving Ada Ruth and Grandma behind. It's war time, and women are needed to fill the men's jobs. As winter sets in, Ada Ruth and her grandma keep up their daily routine, missing Mama all the time. They find strength in each other, and a stray kitten even arrives one day to keep them company, but nothing can fill the hole Mama left. Every day they wait, watching for the letter that says Mama will be coming on home soon. Set during World War II, Coming On Home Soon has a timeless quality that will appeal to all who wait and hope.