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
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A terrible place for a nest
Levine, Sara (Veterinarian)
Paper Book

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

What is given from the heart
McKissack, Pat
Paper Book

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
A helpful tool for parents who need help explaining this complex topic to young children. (Parenting Age 6-8)
Dear Librarian
Sigwarth, Lydia M.
Paper Book

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

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

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

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

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)

The tenth mistake of Hank Hooperman
Choldenko, Gennifer
Paper Book

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)

Sunny Parker is here to stay
Finnegan, Margaret
Paper Book

A middle school girl champions her low-income apartment community in a story that will be especially relevant to apartment-dwelling tweens in a community where most of their peers live in single family homes. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Queenie in seven moves
Louise, Zanni
Paper Book

After her family loses their home, a middle school student searches for continuity throughout a series of temporary homes. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-8)

How to tell a true story
Springstubb, Tricia
Paper Book

A middle schooler unexpectedly finds herself at the center of attention after her family loses everything in a house fire--and she learns the brother she rescued her might not be such a hero after all. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The unforgettable Leta "Lightning" Laurel
Toalson, R. L.
Paper Book

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)

Genesis begins again
Williams, Alicia
Audiobook

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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