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.