Children's Book Suggestions | Poverty Awareness Month

Not only is January Poverty Awareness Month, it's also includes HUD's annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count, which estimates how many individuals are living without stable & secure housing. Looking for more books on income inequality? Browse the catalog to find more books on poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity.

Updated January 17, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Only for a little while
Belt, Gabriela Orozco
Paper Book
A heartwarming picture book with Spanish words woven in, about a father helping his daughter adjust when they temporarily have to move in with extended family. Perfect for fans of My Papi Has a Motorcycle and Where Are You From. When Maribel's family has to move in with Tía...
After her papi loses his job, Maribel's family must adjust to temporarily "doubling up" with their extended family while her father searched for a new job. A Spanish language edition is available as well. (Picture Book Age 4-8)
A homeless Christmas story
Dowd, Ryan
Paper Book

A Christmas story set in the second largest homeless shelter in the US, in which Santa enters just like anyone else in need and distributes toys to the children who live there. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

The wishing machine
Hillman, Jonathan
Paper Book
Oge Mora's Saturday meets Carmela Full of Wishes in this touching and whimsical picture book about a mother and child's last trip to their local laundromat before moving away. Every Sunday after cereal, Sam and Mom walk to the laundromat, wash their clothes, and see...

A hopeful farewell to a familiar ritual for kids who don't have access to laundry at home. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Old blue is my home
Judge, Lita
Paper Book
This poignant yet reassuring picture book follows a family and the van that provides them with safety, warmth, and togetherness amidst economic and housing insecurity An old blue van may not look like much, but it holds everything this family needs--shelter, a place to sleep,...

Based on a true story from the author's childhood, this book celebrates the sense of security a family's van provides while it serves as their home. (Parenting Book Age 4-8)

A terrible place for a nest
Levine, Sara (Veterinarian)
Paper Book
A child learns to settle into a new home in this lyrical and stirring picture book perfect for fans of MEMORY JARS and EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY. Juno and his mom have just moved into a new home, and he hates everything about it - the new school, his new classmates, his new...

A young boy soothes his grief at an unwanted move by helping a bird whose next has been destroyed. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

The blue house
Wahl, Phoebe
Paper Book
In the tradition of Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House comes a heartfelt story about a father and son learning to accept the new while honoring and celebrating the old. For as long as he can remember, Leo has lived in the blue house with his dad, but lately the...

A boy and his dad grieve when their landlord decides to tear down their old house and come together to make their new house feel like home. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

PAWS. 3, Priya puts herself first
Fairbairn, Nathan
Paper Book
The best dog-walkers in town are back in the third book of this heartwarming graphic novel series that is the Baby-Sitters Club for pets! Perfect for fans of Real Friends and Allergic! The holidays have arrived for the PAWS team! And the girls are about to discover...

This graphic novel series is a must-read for fans of The Baby-Sitters Club! In this third installment, Priya's family is evicted and must move across town, straining her friendships with the other girls in her dog walking business. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)

No place like home
Bird, James
Paper Book
An unhoused boy and his family search for stability in this middle-grade novel praised as "big-hearted" and "emotionally resonant." Perfect for back-to-school reading. When home is a car, life is unpredictable. School, friends, and three meals a day aren't...
Inspired by an Ojibwe author's childhood experiences with housing insecurity. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)
The tenth mistake of Hank Hooperman
Choldenko, Gennifer
Paper Book
Everyone will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank, a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn't come home, in this gripping story from Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko. "One of those rare and important books . . . Hank Hooperman may well be the most...

A middle school boy cares for his younger sister when their mom fails to come home in this novel by a Newbery Honor-winning authors. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The unforgettable Leta "Lightning" Laurel
Toalson, R. L.
Paper Book
A determined girl athlete deals with food insecurity and a new rivalry challenging her feminist ideals in this "resonant" (School Library Journal, starred review) upper middle grade coming-of-age story from author of The First Magnificent Summer, R.L. Toalson. ...

A gifted middle school athlete--whose family often doesn't have enough money for food, let alone athletic gear like track spikes and sports bras--pushes herself too far when a new teammate challenges her dominance on the track. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.