Children's Book Suggestions | Income Inequality

HUD's annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count, which estimates how many individuals are living without stable & secure housing, will be held on January 25, 2024. Whether you're hoping to help kids see themselves in a book or help them develop empathy for their friends and classmates, these books on poverty, homelessness, and foster care shine a light on an all-too-common experience.

Updated December 15, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Sometimes, a Tiger
Asterplume, Z. B.
Paper Book
A moving picture book by Z.B. Asterplume about imagination and kindness. Dario's day starts like many others: There's not much to eat. But today, the pantry has a surprise as a tiger emerges and accompanies Dario through his day. A tiger? Dario's friends can...

A gentle story exploring kindness and food insecurity. (Picture Books Age 4-8)

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)
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)

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)

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)

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)

Isaiah Dunn is my hero
Baptist, Kelly J.
Paper Book
A coming-of-age tale about a boy who discovers a love of poetry after finding his late father's journal. Adapted from a story that first appeared in Flying Lessons & Other Stories and perfect for fans of The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. Isaiah is now the...

After his father dies and his family moves into a hotel, Isaiah Dunn finds his voice with the help of a journal his father left behind. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Birdie's billions
Cohn, Edith
Paper Book
A savvy young girl finds half a million dollars and wonders if she can keep it in this charming middle grade mystery that asks big questions about right, wrong, and what you'd do for family. For as long as eleven-year-old Birdie can remember, it's always been just her...

A girl struggles with making the right choice when she finds a life-changing fortune in an abandoned house. (Children's Fiction 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)

Lasagna means I love you
O'Shaughnessy, Kate
Paper Book
What are the essential ingredients that make a family? Eleven-year-old Mo is making up her own recipe in this unforgettable story that's a little sweet, a little sour, and totally delicious. Nan was all the family Mo ever needed. But suddenly she's gone, and Mo finds...

A heartfelt exploration of the power of food and family connections, featuring a foster kid who creates a website dedicated to family recipes in the hope of connecting with her own distant family. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

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)

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
A middle-grade novel by James Bird about homelessness and hope. When home is a car, life is unpredictable. School, friends, and three meals a day aren't guaranteed. Not every town has a shelter where a family can sleep for a night or two, and places with parking lots don'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)

How to train your dad
Paulsen, Gary
Paper Book
From the legendary author of Hatchet, a laugh-out-loud misadventure about a boy, his free-thinking dad, and the puppy-training pamphlet that turns their summer upside down. Twelve-year-old Carl is fed up with his father's single-minded pursuit of an off-the-grid...

Embarrassed by his dad's money-saving dumpster dives, a tween boy uses a dog training guide to try and change his dad's behavior in this funny novel from the author of Hatchet. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Sweetness all around
Supplee, Suzanne
Paper Book
An indomitable heroine who believes she is destined to find her kidnapped neighbor leads this warm, big-hearted story with irresistible characters and a captivating mystery. Almost-eleven-year-old Josephine is NOT pleased to be moving into the Happy World trailer park over the...
Set in 1974, a young girl tries to find a kidnapped neighbor after her family moves into the local trailer park following a devastating fire. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)
Genesis begins again
Williams, Alicia 1970-
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)

Free lunch
Ogle, Rex
Paper Book
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex's mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he's on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout....

A gut-wrenching memoir about the shame and stigma the author experienced as a student receiving free lunch. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)


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