World Homeless Day takes place on October 10th annually. The Inaugural World Homeless Day was marked on the 10th of October 2010. Since its founding, World Homeless Day has been observed on every continent except Antarctica, and in several dozen countries.
The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an ‘international day’ provides.
This short list of picture books on the theme of Homelessness is to assist teachers in responding to the issue of Homelessness in the classroom. The books are all suitable for various classes in the primary school and are perfect for a lesson on Critical Thinking and Book Talk, an approach recommended by Mary Roche in THIS ARTICLE from the NCCA.
A printable version of this list of books is available for download at the bottom of this article.
I Hope You Grow
“I Hope You Grow“, published by Kids Own Publishing Partnership contains poetry, stories and artwork produced by children living in temporary accommodation in Dublin, Ireland.
The book is available to purchase for €12 from Kids Own here: https://kidsown.ie/product/i-hope-you-grow/
Way Home
“Way Home” by Libby Hathorn and Gregory Rogers tells the story of a young boy called Shane who fends for himself, living on the dark night streets. He strikes up an unlikely friendship with a cat whom he decides to take care of and bring him “home”. But where is this “Home”?
This book is available on Book Depository for €8.25
https://www.bookdepository.com/Way-Home-Gregory-Rogers/9781842702321
Fly Away Home
“Fly Away Home” tells the story of a young boy and his father who are homeless and living in an airport terminal building. They try to blend in and not get noticed so that they are not ejected from the building. “Sometimes I just want to cry”, says the boy. There’s a lovely metaphor in the book about a bird who gets trapped in the terminal building. The boy sees the bird escape and thinks, “It took a while, but a door opened”.
This book is available on Book Depository for €7.10
https://www.bookdepository.com/Fly-Away-Home/9780395664155
The Journey
“The Journey” tells the story of a young family forced to flee their home country because of war which has also taken the life of the father. They face dangers all along as they attempt to cross a border to reach a “safe place”. After a perilous journey on an overcrowded ferry, they travel by train to their destination. One of the children sees birds and remarks, “They are migrating just like us. And their journey is very long too, but they don’t have to cross any borders”.
This book is available on Book Depository for €11.53
https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Journey/9781909263994
The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge
“The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge” tells the story of why someone may be living in a “home” underneath a bridge. Told in verse form, the story urges empathy and compassion for those who might be living in such circumstances. What’s different about this book is that it includes a discussion guide for each page in the book for parents/teachers to help children understand the issue of homelessness.
This book is available on Book Depository for €12.04
https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Cardboard-Shack-Beneath-the-Bridge/9781897186091
A Shelter in our Car
“A Shelter in Our Car” tells the story of a young girl and her mother who live in temporary accommodation – in their run-down car. They eat and sleep in the car and the mother even reads a bedtime story to her daughter in the car. They constantly have to find a safe space to park the car at night. In the morning they find a public restroom to wash and change to get ready for school. Will they ever be able to afford an apartment again?
This book is available on Book Depository for €9.44
https://www.bookdepository.com/A-Shelter-in-Our-Car/9780892393084
The Can Man
Tim’s birthday is coming soon and he has his eye on a new skateboard which his family cannot afford. When he sees Mr. Peters (The Can Man), the homeless man, collecting tin cans to exchange for cash at the redemption centre, he gets an idea. He starts to collect cans too to save for his skateboard. But Mr. Peters suddenly notices that there aren’t many cans around for him to collect to buy his winter coat. What will Tim do?
This book is available on Book Depository for €10.28
https://www.bookdepository.com/Can-Man-Laura-E-Williams/9781620145777
Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen
“Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen” tells the story of a young boy who discovers that his Uncle Willie works at the local soup kitchen. On a day off from school, the boy accompanies his uncle to the soup kitchen to help out for the day. He discovers that you only have to be hungry to attend the soup kitchen and that they fed 121 people that day.
This book is available on Book Depository for €12.04
https://www.bookdepository.com/Uncle-Willie-and-the-Soup-Kitchen/9780688152857
Download
Download a printable copy of this list of books on the theme of Homelessness here:
