Child Poverty

Children will learn the wonderful qualities of love and wisdom (through an enjoyable story)! A little girl, Amelia, hopes to help the hungry children on the other side of a (very wide) river. When her plan comes crashing down, she soon finds that a far greater plan was unfolding all along! A positive and inspiring story with clear moral lessons. This inspiring fable-like story carries compelling moral messages. This could lead to some excellent discussions on why some children live in poverty or how we can best care for those in need.

Every day, a young girl is disheartened by the things in her neighborhood: the trash on the streets, the graffiti on the walls, and the homeless woman that sleeps in a box. When she learns the word "beautiful" at school, she sets out to find "something beautiful" in her surroundings. In her search, this little girl learns to see beyond the barren ugliness of her environment to find beauty in her friendships, her family, and herself.

Growing up, there is so much out of our control and to feel frustrated about. But in this inspiring and practical handbook, bestselling children's author and Human Rights campaigner, Onjali Raúf, shares her top ten ways for finding hope, creating change and making a difference. With the help of her favourite fictional characters and some of the most inspiring people she has ever met, Onjali invites listeners to dive in and discover everything there is to know about kindness, empathy, friendship and fighting for the things that matter.

Hearing impaired and way too smart for her West Bronx high school, Tamika Mik Sykes copes by reading lips and selling homework answers. She's a tough girl who never gets close to anyone, until she meets Fatima, a teenage refugee who sells newspapers on Mik's block.

Joseph’s sophomore year is about to begin, but his new start is a false one. At his father’s request, Joseph has moved in with his aunt and uncle to avoid the toxic environment surrounding his drug-addicted mother. But efforts to keep Joseph safe have tragic results for the family. When their community is shattered, Joseph must contend with his own grief, his mother’s persistent pleas for money, and the distance between himself and his father, stationed in Iraq - not to mention schoolwork, making the tennis team, and a new relationship.

It all begins when Soft Rain's teacher reads a letter stating that as of May 23, 1838, all Cherokee people are to leave their land and move to what many Cherokees called "the land of darkness"...the west. Soft Rain is confident that her family will not have to move, because they have just planted corn for the next harvest but soon thereafter, soldiers arrive to take nine-year-old Soft Rain and her mother to walk the Trail of Tears, leaving the rest of her family behind. On the journey, she is forced to eat the white man's food and sees many of her people die.

Cole and Claudia are poor and homeless on Christmas Eve. Cole's kindness toward another hungry child draws attention from Santa Claus, who gifts the siblings with a very special gingerbread house.

Once upon a time, There was a family of four, the father, the mother, and two children, Jack and Alice. Jack is a boy, and Alice is a girl. Jack was 7 years old, and Alice was 5 years old. They lived in a village. They were so poor, and everyone in the town looked down on them. Because they were so poor, they could not afford so many things.

This heart-wrenching novel in verse describes the life of a poor girl surviving the Irish Land War and the everyday challenges she experiences.

Anna and her best friend Molly run a blog and podcast called the Returned, helping returned shelter dogs find new, loving homes, and families. With four successful adoptions through their program, the girls discuss choosing their next dog to feature. Unbeknownst to Anna and Molly, their mission will find them - in the form of a chained dog named Rocky. Rocky is a pit bull mix who is forgotten in the summer heat in an overgrown backyard next door to the town library.

Tired of being poor, Steven’s father, Corey, is certain that preaching the Word of the Lord is the way to fame and fortune. So father and son take off in their dilapidated truck, with a stolen Bible and a leaky army tent, for a whirlwind tour of small Texas towns. At first, few people come to see the new tent preacher - but each day Corey’s confidence and charisma grow. Soon their fortune is growing, too, especially when they start performing bogus healings. For the first time, they can afford luxuries like expensive hotel rooms, meals in fancy restaurants, even a slick new bike for Steven.

A pivotal moment arrives when their son Mateo brings home a seed from school—an apple tree seed. In a twist of fate, this humble seed becomes a catalyst for change, leading the family down a path of disciplined transformation. At the heart of the story is a family united by love, with parents dedicated to the happiness of their young children.

Lucas goes to the perfect school in the perfect neighborhood. But life at home is not so perfect. His dad’s old work truck stalls in front of the school. The electricity is out when he gets home, and he doesn’t even have time to show his mom his report (on which he received a perfect score) before she rushes off to her night job. That night, Lucas dreams of a strange light, which he follows down the fire escape, into the alleyway, clear out of his neighborhood, all the way to the place where the perfect people live.

Who is your invisible neighbor? When Mrs. Johnson gives her fourth grade class this new riddle to solve, Isabelle can’t wait to take on the challenge. She’s a smart, curious girl who loves competition and hopes to be a veterinarian someday. But this riddle is the most difficult one she’s ever had to solve. Before she can unravel the mystery, Isabelle will need a few more clues. Join her on the journey as she meets a stranger, takes a surprise field trip, and hears a most unusual secret. Along the way, Isabelle learns to see things she’s never seen before.

As a young boy, Bao and his father awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.

The Magic Home is a story for those who believe in magic to turn fear into bravery and let fantasies run wild! This is a tale of a little boy that lives with his family, plays happily in the courtyard with his brother, sister, a brown dog, and a fluffy white rabbit, and cannot wait to start school. Suddenly he has to leave for an unpredictable journey....

Shy Anna doesn't think she is anything like her outgoing, funny, clever mother. One day, Anna sees a hungry man on the street and decides to find a way to help. When she uses her tzedakah money for an act of kindness, she realizes she and her mother have something special in common after all.

Child Protection Services have been involved with Billy and his mother for some time now. He has been happily settled in a kinship placement with his grandmother and enjoys his pet cat, interacting with neighbors, and even taking piano lessons. As the story unfolds, Billy's grandmother has unexpectedly passed away and so the story of Billy Had to Move begins. Unfortunately, Billy's mother cannot be located. Mr. Murphy, Billy's social worker, places him in the foster home of Amy, Tim, and their baby "Colly".

Zebi, a homeless seven-year-old, girl lives in a part of the world where many young children don't have access to education or basic necessities of life. Zebi, her mother, and her baby brother panhandle on the streets of a sprawling metropolis. While struggling to survive, Zebi glimpses a different kind of life, one that appears like a fairytale to her: happy clean girls running into school every morning and beautiful families riding in air-conditioned cars on scorching hot days.

Dyamonde Daniel has her eye on a new pair of red high-top sneakers. Following some bad advice from a classmate, she thinks she has the right idea to go about getting them - by demanding her mother buy them! Unfortunately for Dyamonde, Mrs. Daniel doesn’t appreciate being told what to do and decides to teach her daughter a lesson. Soon Dyamonde finds herself in a clothing crisis, with almost zero to wear! Dyamonde is furious.