A Shelter in Our Car

APA Bibliography: Gunning, M., & Pedlar, E. (2004). A Shelter in Our Car. San Francisco: Children's Book Press.

Readability Lexile: AD560L

Book Information: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/a-shelter-in-our-car

Online Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k9c8hVoDqY

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Diverse Protagonist, Bilingual

Author Information: https://www.boydsmillspress.com/bmp/authors-illustrators/monica-gunning

Summary: Zettie and her family came to America from Jamaica. After Zettie's dad passed away, Zettie and her mom were all alone. They couldn't afford a place to live, so they lived in their car. While Zettie goes to school, Zettie's mom would try to find work wherever it was available and finish her classes at the community college. Zettie would get embarrassed by the car so she would have her mom drop her off behind the school. Zettie sometimes gets bullied by the kids at school. When Zettie's mom finally finds a job with the Health Fair, they sleep in a real bed in a motel. This brings hope for Zettie and her mom. 

Target Audience: The target audience for this book is children in grades K- 3rd grade. I think children will like this book because it gives hope for children living in poverty. It is a easy read and children will be able to understand it easily. 

Evaluation: Being homeless is terrible, but it is a reality that some people have to face. They do not know if they will have food to eat at night or they might even have very little to eat. Coming from a well off life to a life of working very hard can be very rough. 

Reader Response Activity: An activity you can do is to have a discussion about what it would be like to live in a car. Have your students make a list of things they would keep in the car if they lived in a car. Remind them that they can only take the necessities. Ask questions about where they would eat, where they would spend the night, etc. When you finish that discussion, talk to your students about what they can do as a class to help children who are homeless. You can help them come up with ideas such as having a food pantry in the school or researching where the near by shelters are. 

The Can Man

APA Bibliography: Williams, L. E., & Orback, C. (2017). The Can Man. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books. 

Readability Lexile: AD630L

Book Information: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/the-can-man

Online Read-aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12H6qNcR2bU

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Diverse Background, Bilingual

Author Information: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/laura-e--williams/

Illustrator Information: http://www.craigorback.com

Summary: Tim's birthday is coming up and he really wants a skateboard, but he knows that his family cannot afford it with money being so tight. Every day he watches The Can Man, Mr. Peters, collect cans from the trash to trade in for money. One day, he gets an idea to collect cans as well to trade in for money, so he can buy the skateboard. Every day he goes around collecting cans, and by the end of the week he has almost enough for the skateboard. One day when he is out collecting cans, he meets The Can Man, and finds out that Mr. Peters is collecting the cans so he can buy a new coat. When Tim is going to turn the cans in, Mr. Peters comes along and asks if he needs help taking the cans to the redemption center. After turning the cans in, Tim realizes that there is someone else who needs the money more than him, so he runs out to Mr. Peters and hands him the bag of coins he got. The next day, as Tim is opening his front door, he sees a new skateboard sitting there. Just then, the Can Man comes along and wishes Tim a happy birthday and Tim says, "Thank you," for the birthday gift. He also sees that the Can Man is wearing a new coat. 

Target Audience: The target audience is children in grades K-5th grade. This book really relates to children because it talks about how they might want something for their birthday, but it might be too expensive for their families to afford. 

Evaluation: This book has a really strong message. It is a realistic story of what people go through every day. Children want things they see other kids have around the neighborhood, but they know that they cannot afford it. Just as Tim worked hard to collect cans, children like him work real jobs to hep out around the house. He quickly realized that he took someone else's job and he felt really bad, so decided to give the money to The Can Man. This book shows friendship, heroism, and sharing. 

Reader Response Activity: Before doing this activity, I really suggest you get permission from the principle and parents. With the help of parents and teachers, have the students collect cans from around their houses, the school, or around the neighborhood. Give the students as much time as you want to collect the cans. Teach the students about sharing and donating by giving the collected cans to  the poor or homeless. 

Maddi's Fridge

APA Bibliography:  Brandt, L. (2014). Maddi’s Fridge. New York, NY: Flashlight Press.

Readability Lexile: 430L

Book Information: https://www.booksource.com/Products/Maddis-Fridge__9781936261291.aspx

Online Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UDBKwFyvgk&t=149s

Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Picture Book Fiction, Children's Literature, Multilingual

Author Information: https://www.loisbrandt.com/about-lois

Illustrator Information: http://www.vinvogel.com

Summary: This book is about the friendship of Maddi and Sofia. These two girls are best friends; they live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school. While playing, Sofia discovered that Maddi doesn't have anything in her fridge. Sofia asked why Maddi's mom doesn't go shopping. Maddi told her that they don't have enough money. She made Sofia promise not to tell anyone. Everyday Sofia would take food from her fridge and hide it in her backpack to give to Maddi. They find out that food is made for fridges, not backpacks. Sofia ends up telling her mom about Maddi's problem. Sofia's mom buys all kinds of groceries to give to Maddi's mom.

Target Audience: This book was made for children in grades Kindergarten to 3rd grade. This book is funny and shows true friendship. Sometimes it is okay to break promises to help the people that you care about. 

Evaluation: I really liked this book because it is very relatable to families who live in poverty. Just because families have a place to live, it doesn't always mean that they have food in the fridge. Maddi may not have food to eat, but she sure does have a best friend. This book gives hope to children in poverty. Just because you do not have food, does not mean you can't have a best friend. 

Reader Response Activity: An activity that you can do will be very helpful to people. You can have students bring in non-perishable food items and start a food pantry at school. Students who need the food items can take them from a box that is open to all students. You can set the box up in the school lobby or somewhere else. Students can take the items from the box and not be judged for it. Another activity you can do is to have the students do research with an adult, and bring in a recipe that requires very few ingredients. You can print out the recipes to give to parents who need them. 

Those Shoes

APA Bibliography: Boelts, M. (2009). Those Shoes. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. 

Readability Lexile: AD550L

Book Information: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/those-shoes-by-ms-maribeth-boelts/

Online Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5HzAe6OBg

Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Bilingual, Poverty

Author Information: https://maribethboelts.com

Illustrator Information: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/noah-z--jones/

Summary: Those Shoes is about boy named Jeremy who wants these pair of shoes that all the other kids are getting except for, Antonio. Jeremy tells his grandma that he wants the shoes, but his grandma tell him, “There’s no room for ‘want’ around here – just ‘need’.” One day, Jeremy’s shoes break, so he wears a pair from school that is given by Mr. Alfrey. Jeremy’s grandma finally agrees to take him shopping. Jeremy finds the shoes, but they were a size too small. Even though he had the shoes, he didn’t wear them too school. Jeremy noticed that Antonio’s shoes were breaking, but he used tape to hold them together. Jeremy kept saying to himself, “I’m not going to do it.” In the end, Jeremy gives the shoes that are too small to Antonio. 

Target Audience: This books is for children in grades 1-5. I think children will like this book because it is very relatable to them. Children want things that they see in school, but some of them cannot get it because they do not have money to waste on things they want. They have to think carefully whether they actually need it or not.

Evaluation: This is honestly an amazing book. It really explains how children feel when they want something new but cannot afford it. They have to make the best of what they have. Jeremy wanted the shoes and when he did get them, they didn't fit. He showed what an every day true hero looks like by giving the shoes to Antonio.

Reader Response Activity: An activity that you can with your students is to have each of them make a list of wants and needs. After reading the book, have them make another list of Jeremy's needs and wants. Then have a discussion comparing the two lists. Some students may have a list similar to Jeremy because they may be living in poverty. If you have younger students, you can do a fun craft and hang it up across the class. Print off an outline of high top shoes and let the students design and decorate the shoes.