Children's Books about Poverty and HomelessnessLike this list

24 items

• Old Blue Is My Home

  Judge, Lita

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  Inspired by her childhood experience with economic and housing insecurity.

• Lily and the Paper Man

  Upjohn, Rebecca, 1962-

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  Canadian author and illustrator. Beautiful illustrations follow a child overcoming her fear of a homeless man.

• A Place to Stay

  a Shelter Story

  Gunti, Erin

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  Depicted through the eyes of a young girl, who, with her mother’s help, uses her imagination to overcome her anxiety and adjust to living in a women's shelter.

• Dear Librarian

  Sigwarth, Lydia M.

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  A true story based on the author's life.

• Crenshaw

  Applegate, Katherine

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  For middle grade readers. This award winning author shares a story about a boy and his family facing homelessness and his imaginary friend Crenshaw who helps them cope. A hopeful story about resilience and honesty.

• Saturday at the Food Pantry

  O'Neill, Diane, 1955-

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  Gently destigmatizes food insecurity while showing how a mom and daughter talk each other through the discomfort.

• Shelter

  Homelessness in Our Community

  Peterson, Lois, 1952-

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  A non-fiction book for middle grade readers that focuses on the root causes of homelessness and its effects, what people are doing to address the problem and shares personal stories of unhoused people and the adults and kids who work with them.

• Last Stop on Market Street

  de la Peña, Matt

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  Lyrical language. Vibrant illustrations. An authentic portrayal of a multicultural urban community while gently teaching empathy and the value of simple joys.

• Paper Things

  Jacobson, Jennifer, 1958-

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  For middle grade readers. A thoughtful and moving exploration of child homelessness, family loyalty, and resilience. A nuanced story of hiding in plain sight.

• Crumbs

  Cummings, Phil

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  Award winning author. A picture book to spark a conversation about empathy and how small acts of kindness can go a long way.

• The One With the Scraggly Beard

  Withey, Elizabeth

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  A child tries to understand the life of a man he sees living under a bridge and soon begins to wonder where his own path in life will take him. The origin of this story is rooted in the authors own life.

• Yard Sale

  Bunting, Eve, 1928-

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  While not directly about homelessness, the author covers the difficulties of learning to let go of worldly belongings from the perspective of a child. Not every person living with homelessness is unsheltered. Author has written over 250 titles.

• The Old Man

  V., Sarah, 1985-

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  Watercoloured pencil crayon illustrations and sparse text set a mood and depict a story of a homeless man who is acknowledged by a small child in a world where he is often ignored and forgotten.

• A Homeless Christmas Story

  Dowd, Ryan

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  Author spent most of his career as Executive Director of a large homeless shelter near Chicago. He trains organizations around the globe (including Thunder Bay Public Library staff!), homeless shelters, and hospitals) on how to use empathy-driven…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Parked

  Svetcov, Danielle

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  For middle grade readers. A story of an unlikely friendship told from two view points. Lessons about homelessness, respect, perseverance, and the struggles of working single parents.

• Those Shoes

  Boelts, Maribeth, 1964-

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  A story about "wants" versus "needs" that touches on difficult decisions when living in poverty.

• Just Under the Clouds

  Sarno, Melissa

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  For middle grade readers. When a young girl finds herself homeless after the death of her father, she is forced to discover a deeper truth about where she really belongs.

• The Teddy Bear

  McPhail, David, 1940-

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  A story about a boy who loses his beloved Teddy Bear and finds him one day at the park with a homeless man. A heartwarming story about the love we get from things and the love we give when we give those things away.

• A Chair for My Mother

  Williams, Vera B.

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  A Caldecott Honor book. Written based off the authors own life experiences.

• Still a Family

  Reeves Sturgis, Brenda

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  Due to common homeless shelter policy, a family is split up. The dad must live in a men's shelter, separated from his daughter and wife. Despite these circumstances, the family still finds time to be together.