Homlessness in Kidlit Booklist

A wordless picture book that depicts a homeless woman who is not seen by all the life around her, except by a little boy. Ultimately, in a gesture of compassion, this boy approaches this woman, in an exchange where he sees her and she experiences being seen.

Since she left Jamaica for America after her father died, Zettie lives in a car with her mother while they both go to school and plan for a real home.

Despite living in separate shelters, a little girl and her parents find time to be together, demonstrating that even in the most trying of times they are still a loving and committed family. Many shelters won’t accept both parents and the effect of a child going through that must be difficult. This is a great book for any child experiencing homlessness and separation of their family members.

A young homeless boy moves through the city, filling the time between the end of the school day and the opening of the shelter where he will meet his mother and brother. He shares his feelings of loneliness and fear and tells how the love of his family gives him strength.  While this is a older title, it does a great job of showing a family dynamic in this situation.

Day breaks over the town. Get up, everybody! It’s time to go to school. For the old man too, it’s time to wake up. The night was icy and he’s hungry. His name? He doesn’t know.

During the Great Depression six-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings, and their mother find a tar-paper shack in the woods and, over the course of a year, turn it into a home. Based on the author’s grandmother’s childhood; includes historical notes.

After watching a homeless man collect empty soft drink cans for redemption money, a young boy decides to collect cans himself to earn money for a skateboard until he has a change of heart. Again, an older title, but it’s a great conversation starter.

Moving is stressful anytime, but when a family is forced to move because they cannot afford to pay their mortgage-it is a whole different experience. Tough topics such as having to move into a shelter are dealt with in a sensitive and encouraging manner. This book also gives some ideas of what to expect when a family moves in with relatives while they get back on their feet.

Using illustrations, full-color photographs and straightforward text, this nonfiction picture book introduces the topics of homelessness and poverty to young readers.

Soon-to-be fifth-grader Jackson goes for facts and science—things that are real and true—and having a giant, talking cat around doesn’t fit the bill. It has been years since his imaginary feline friend, Crenshaw, was on the scene, and Jackson can’t figure out why he is back or how to make him go away. It soon becomes apparent that all is not well in Jackson’s home. Though he has a loving family, money is tight. Jackson can’t help remembering back to when they had to live in a minivan—that was when he first met Crenshaw—and he fears that might happen once again.

After the loss of her father and home, twelve-year-old Nora lives with her mother in Manila’s North Cemetery but then her mother disappears, sending Nora on a dangerous quest to find her.

When Ari’s mother died four years ago, she had two final wishes: that Ari and her older brother, Gage, would stay together always, and that Ari would go to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. So when nineteen-year-old Gage decides he can no longer live with their bossy guardian, Janna, Ari knows she has to go with him. But it’s been two months, and Gage and Ari have been hopping around from couch to shelter, to couch. All of this jumping around makes it hard for Ari to keep up with her schoolwork, never mind her friendships, and getting into Carter starts to seem impossible. Will Ari be forced to break one of her promises to Mama?

Learning that Dad has (once again) canceled his plans to visit isn’t exactly a surprise to 13-year-old Zig. But after a year without seeing his father, it’s a major disappointment. Zig spends his free time geocaching with friends. Soon, with little money for food and none for rent, he and his mother move into a homeless shelter. He avoids telling even his best friend, Gianna, about their situation. When his teacher schedules a class visit to the shelter, Zig dreads discovery, but more painful is his mother’s eventual revelation that his father is in prison. 

Twelve-year-old Felix’s appearance on a television game show reveals that he and his mother have been homeless for a while, but also restores some of his faith in other people.

Piper’s life is turned upside down when her family moves into a shelter in a whole new city. She hates being labeled the homeless girl at her new school. But while Hope House offers her new challenges, it also brings new friendships, like the girls in Firefly Girls Troop 423 and a sweet street dog named Baby. So when Baby’s person goes missing, Piper knows she has to help. But helping means finding the courage to trust herself and her new friends, no matter what anyone says about them–before Baby gets taken away for good.

Since her father’s death, Cora, twelve, longs for a permanent home for herself, her special-needs sister, and their mother while navigating middle school and studying trees using her father’s field notes.

Newly homeless Jeanne Ann and wealthy Cal form a vital friendship as they both search for stability and community, finding it through love of books, art, and food.

Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what’s right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran.

This book looks at the problems of homelessness–not only the challenges, but also how families can meet and rise above them.

This informative, nonjudgmental series examines living on the streets or in a shelter without a real home, and facing prejudices. Within each chapter, “What Do You Think?” questions encourage readers to consider the information presented.