My Homelessness Collection

Each of the books I choose is special in its own way. Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting represents all the homeless people that don’t live on the streets and the sense of hope that things will get better. Shelter Folks by Virginia Kroll represents how important having a community is as well as the complicated feelings homeless children may feel. Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern, depicts a homeless reality in many urban areas as well as explains the unfortunate situations that cause people to be homeless. Finally Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by DyAnne Desalvo-Ryan depicts how the community affects homelessness, positive attitudes toward homelessness, and what people can do to help. Together I felt that these 4 books did the best job of giving children a powerful introduction to homelessness.

Although each book had its individual strengths there are some common themes and ideals between the books. First, each of the books has a unique family portrayed. Most only have one parent, others none, and some have uncles or other relatives living with them. This in itself is illustrating different lifestyles that children might be able to relate to. The great part about these families is they all hold community as a high priority in their lives. Community is the largest theme that runs through all of these books. In some the community is reaching out to help those in need and make their community a better place to live. In the other books the importance of the community of homeless people to other homeless people is illustrated. These books do a great job of illustrating to children the importance of communities in all aspects of life.

All of these books are also very realistic, each portraying homelessness in a different setting. They all do a good job of putting homelessness into the context of the larger picture and help children see homelessness as the complex issue it is. None of the books give children an unrealistic view of “saving” homeless people, rather they all give examples of small steps they kids could take to help homelessness. They are all also realistic in the confused, sad, and frustrated attitudes that children have about homelessness. I was careful to choose books that illustrated both children who are homeless and children who are experiencing homelessness from the outside.

Homelessness is an issue that is not specific to one community or to one place. It is a global issue that affects people all over the world. Service and service-learning is a personal passion and I truly believe that children should learn about the importance of community at a young age. They should learn about the importance of communities in everyday life and the importance of accepting all communities which also means accepting all cultures. Students who value communities and cultures will truly get a multicultural education.