Recinos (author of the Transitional Age Youth series) teaches younger readers the value of caring for individuals experiencing homelessness in this warmhearted picture book. The story showcases several layers of a community, from young children to the elderly, spotlighting those without houses—and emphasizing the responsibility of “every community [to] make space to house every adult, every child.” As the book’s townspeople go about their daily lives, several recognize the glaring need of their neighbors living on the street, prompting them to take action so each individual has “a place to live… somewhere to stay safe.” Ravensdale’s brightly hued illustrations are ablaze with emotion, rendering the story’s unhoused people with striking expressions and splashing a sense of belonging across the pages as the town comes together to provide for their own. Featured families throughout the book build tiny homes in their backyards, crafted with special care and thoughtful attention, before offering them as homes to their unhoused neighbors, a powerful call to action portrayed in relatable prose and radiant graphics. The mantra—“we can’t leave them outside// we can’t push them away”—is resonant, particularly when the story’s characters reach out a helping hand to those in need, offering a welcoming, respectful answer to the housing crisis that so many communities are experiencing today.
Recinos empowers readers to make small changes that, when added together, have the potential to “end homelessness forever,” suggesting different ways to take initiative, such as making donations to shelters, engaging in creative fundraising, and advocating for people without a voice. That sense of responsibility for improving the world around us hits home, particularly as Recinos urges “when everyone says Yes In My Back Yard, we can work together to create housing everywhere that people need a place to live.” Backmatter includes a list of organizations that actively support ending homelessness.
Takeaway: Moving entreaty for young readers to work together to end homelessness.
Comparable Titles: Eliza Wheeler’s Home in the Woods, Vera B. Williams’s A Chair for My Mother.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
