Housing, Health, Hunger & Help: Books and More

After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save their money to buy a comfy chair for all to enjoy.

On the roof of his building, lonely Jawanza meets a homeless man who teaches him how to make friends with the sparrows and pigeons up there.

A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

Life isn't easy for a bear. Not when he has to sleep on the sidewalk among cardboard boxes and old clothes. Not when he lives in a city full of people who are repulsed by him. Not when he s hungry and homeless. But one day a young girl smiles at the bear, and he realizes that maybe there is something that could make life a bit easier -- a friend.

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty--and fun--in their routine and the world around them. Matt De la Peña won the 2016 Newbery Medal for Last Stop on Market Street.

Best friends Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park, but while Sofia's fridge at home is full of nutritious food, the fridge at Maddi's house is empty. Sofia learns that Maddi's family doesn't have enough money to fill their fridge and promises Maddi she'll keep this discovery a secret. But because Sofia wants to help her friend, she's faced with a difficult decision: to keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi's empty fridge. Filled with colorful artwork, this storybook addresses issues of poverty with honesty and sensitivity while instilling important lessons in friendship, empathy, trust, and helping others. A call to action section, with six effective ways for children to help fight hunger and information on antihunger groups, is also included.

A little girl and her parents have lost their home and must live in a homeless shelter. Even worse, due to a common shelter policy, her dad must live in a men's shelter, separated from her and her mom. Despite these circumstances, the family still finds time to be together. They meet at the park to play hide-and-seek, slide on slides, and pet puppies. While the young girl wishes for better days when her family is together again under a roof of their very own, she continues to remind herself that they're still a family even in times of separation.

Sunday nights are special for Evie and Grandma. That's when they go on their weekly shopping spree. Grandma flips open the newspaper to see what's advertised, and the imaginary tour of neighbourhood stores begins. Toting a wallet filled with colourful pretend bills, Evie and Grandma takes turns "buying" whatever catches their fancy. Overflowing with whimsy and a sweet grandmother-granddaughter relationship, Sunday Shopping is a joyous celebration of imagination and family love.

When Jeremy's shoes fall apart, and the guidance counselor gives him a hand-me-down pair, he is more determined than ever to have cool shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren't much fun, and Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has -- warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend -- are worth more than the things he wants.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again. Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

The orphans of Wanderville are going to make their way to California and establish a more permanent spot for Wanderville, one where the Society for Children's Aid and Relief (S-C-A-R) will never find them. But when the orphans are suddenly left without transportation, they must locate a new means of getting to their "town." Enter a motorist with a proposition: if the orphans agree to take a mysterious gold medallion to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair on his behalf, they will receive a handsome reward that will allow them to book passage west. With a particularly relentless S-C-A-R agent on their tail and little hope of discovering other travel money, the citizens of Wanderville conclude that the motorist's offer is their best bet. What they don't realize, however, is just how treacherous the journey to the fair will be and how much they will need to sacrifice on the way to their new home.

An old tramp, adopted by three fatherless children when their mother hides them under a bridge on the Seine, finds a home for mother and children and a job for himself.

Forced to live on his own after his mom dies, 12-year-old Jayson does whatever it takes to get by. He will do anything to avoid the foster care system. Besides, his real home has always been the beat-up basketball court behind the projects in the North Carolina hills, and his family has always been his friends and teammates. He manages to get away with his deception until the day he gets caught stealing a new pair of basketball sneakers.

Where is Early's father? He's not the kind of father who you think would disappear. But he's gone. His vanishing leads to Early and her mom and her brother being kicked out of their apartment. Having nowhere else to go, they move into Chicago's shelter system. And from there, Early must start getting answers to her questions.

Thirteen-year-old Dicey takes care of her three siblings over the course of a summer in New England and tries to find a new home for all of them after they are abandoned by their mother.

Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

On a cold Christmas night Ivan awakes and discovers his family's house is on fire! Now homeless, the family eventually finds shelter but they must flee to a nearby church for safety from gang wars and drugs. After living in crowded places for some time, Ivan dreams of a home for himself, his younger brother and his mother; a home where he can have his own stand for his toothbrush.In the next three years Ivan and his family struggle to realize his dream until unexpected events happen that will change their lives forever. But will these changes help or hinder Ivan's dream?

In this empathetic tale of hope, understanding, and the importance of family, children face the difficult issue of poverty and the many hardships of being homeless through an inspiring young heroine named Ivy. Ivy is a young girl who finds herself homeless on the streets of San Francisco when she and her father, Poppy, are evicted from his artist loft. Struggling to survive day to day, Ivy and Poppy befriend a dog who takes them to the ramshackle home of quirky siblings Eugenia and Oscar, making the start of some amazing adventures. The story relates a hopeful but realistic representation of homelessness that will appeal to young readers and give adults material to discuss with children.

Ivy Aberdeen's world is upended when a tornado destroys her family home and the six Aberdeens must squeeze into a small hotel room. As if life wasn't complicated enough, Ivy begins to develop a crush on another girl and feels that she has no one to talk to about her feelings.

Kim Fitzgerald-Trout took to driving with ease--as most children would if their parents would ever let them try. She had to. After all, she and her siblings live in a car. Meet the Fitzgerald-Trouts, a band of four loosely related children living together in a lush tropical island. They take care of themselves. They sleep in their car, bathe in the ocean, eat fish they catch and fruit they pick, and can drive anywhere they need to go--to the school, the laundromat, or the drive-in. If they put their minds to it, the Fitzgerald-Trouts can do anything. Even, they hope, find a real home.

Maggie is always full of questions. But a young maid in a fine lady's house isn't supposed to wonder so much, so one day Maggie is thrown out into the street with only a tiny heart-shaped locket for a keepsake. Who is the lady in the locket? A little dog named Oliver is pushing his nose along an icy sidewalk searching for his lost mistress, or at least something to eat. No matter how hard he looks he can't find either one, but he does see a girl with round blue eyes and a golden locket.

Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.

Abigail's parents, believing the end of the world is near, sell their house, give the money to an end-of-times preacher, and drive from North Carolina to San Francisco where they remain homeless and destitute, as Abigail fights to keep her parents, her twin brother, and herself united against all odds.

As a homeless runaway who finds work in a Manhattan deli, Welfy Deederhoth -- orphan, product of New York's foster care system -- stumbles into a parallel world where he's believed to be a prophesied hero: "The One in a dirty apron who leads the Brundeedle race out of Woe Time." Uncertainly navigating New York's streets with his friend Harlan, struggling with self-doubt as the savior of an alien population, Welfy learns that "home" means something different than anything he ever expected, that he's not as alone as he supposed, and that certain meats should be celebrated even if they're a bit disgusting.

"Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what's right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran."--Provided by publisher.