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
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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)
One can
Button, Lana
Paper Book
A child donates a can of food to their school food drive. But in an unexpected twist, they come to understand what it means to give and receive. A child is excited to donate a can of their favorite Zoodelicious to the school food drive. Their teacher has explained that the food will be...

An elementary school student finds joy in being generous even after he discovers that his family is a recipient of the class food drive. (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)

What is given from the heart
McKissack, Pat
Paper Book
CORETTA SCOTT KING - JOHN STEPTOE ILLUSTRATOR AWARD FOR NEW TALENT WINNER This final, magnificent picture book from three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and Newbery Honor author Patricia McKissack is a poignant and uplifting celebration of the joy of giving. ...

A story about the power of generosity centered around a young boy who both gives and receives gifts during his church's Valentine's Day drive for those in need. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

On our street : our first talk about poverty
Roberts, Jillian
Paper Book
The World Around Us series introduces children to complex cultural, social and environmental issues that they may encounter outside their homes, in a way that is accessible. Sidebars offer further reading for older children or care providers who have bigger questions. For younger children just...
A helpful tool for parents who need help explaining this complex topic to young children. (Parenting Age 6-8)
Still a family
Reeves Sturgis, Brenda
Paper Book
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2017 A family has fallen on hard times and are living in different homeless shelters. But even though they are separate, they are still a family. A little girl and her parents have lost their home...
A family maintains their bonds despite the fact that they can only find beds at separate homeless shelters. (Picture Book Age 4-8)
Dear Librarian
Sigwarth, Lydia M.
Paper Book
When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma's house to Aunt Linda's house to Cousin Alice's house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed. Lydia's mom took her to a new place -- not a house, but a big building with...

Libraries were Lydia's refuge when her family didn't have a home of their own. Now a librarian herself, she writes a thank you letter to the librarian who welcomed her. (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)

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)

A duet for home
Glaser, Karina Yan
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling creator of the Vanderbeekers series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. As their...

A young musician bonds with a longtime resident when her family moves into a homeless shelter. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Something like home
Arango, Andrea Beatriz
Paper Book
The Pura Belpré Honor winning novel in verse, in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family . . . only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Iveliz Explains It All. "Trust me: this book will touch...

Sent to live with her aunt after a well-meaning 911 call sends them to rehab, Laura copes with her feelings by training a stray puppy to be a therapy dog in this moving novel in verse. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

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)
Operation final notice
Landis, Matthew
Paper Book
Told in alternating points of view, this middle grade novel, following best friends Ronny and Jo, is about anxiety, being in over your head, and learning to accept help-even if you don't know how to ask Eight hundred seventy-eight dollars. That's how much Ronny needs by January...

A gig performing at a nursing home helps tween musicians Jo, who struggles with stage fright, and Ronny, who needs money to prevent his family's eviction following a parent's injury. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Genesis begins again
Williams, Alicia
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Winner of the Correta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award A Morris Award Finalist An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 A School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 A Kirkus Reviews...

A Black middle schooler struggles with bullying and colorism after her family is evicted from their home. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)


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