Children's Picture Books: Stories about Financial Struggles

An invisible thread

2015

by Laura Schroff, Alex Tresniowski and Barry Root

This heartfelt story tells the true but unlikely tale of a young woman working in the city and a young boy in desperate need of friendship and guidance. In the short time after they meet, Laura realizes Maurice has never celebrated Christmas, so she opens her heart and her home and sets out to show him how wondrous the holiday is. What she finds through his glowing eyes is that the meaning of the holiday is truly about giving, not getting, as they each discover the magic of Christmas and how one small random act of kindness can truly change a life.--Jacket flap

Bismillah soup!

2015

by Asmaa Hussein

A spinoff of the classic Stone Soup folktale, Bismillah Soup is a story about Hasan, a young Somali boy who ventures out to prepare a delicious feast for his mother. With a little bit of elbow grease, a lot of trust in God and the help of his friends and neighbours, Hasan quickly turns his idea into a magnificent plan and gathers the entire community together for a spectacular feast at the local mosque. Hasan's journey is full of unexpected twists and turns that lead him down a path of discovering what community, generosity and reliance on God truly mean.

Emmanuel’s dream

2015

by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people--but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled

Gordon Parks

2015

by Carole Boston Weatherford and Jamey Christoph

"Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed"--|cBook jacket

Growing up Pedro

2015

by Matt Tavares

Before Pedro Martínez pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship, before he was named to the All-Star team eight times, before he won the Cy Young Award three times, he was a kid from a place called Manoguayabo in the Dominican Republic. Pedro loved baseball more than anything, and his older brother Ramón was the best pitcher he'd ever seen. He dreamed of the day he and his brother could play together in the major leagues. This is the story of how that dream came true--Dust jacket

I am Jackie Robinson

2015

by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos

Presents an illustrated biography of the man who broke baseball's color barrier and changed the way Americans viewed equality in sports.

Last stop on Market Street

2015

by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson

A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things

Luigi and the barefoot races

2015

by Dan Paley and Aaron Boyd

"In Philadelphia, Luigi Lendini was the fastest kid on Regent Street, but has he met his match in Mean Max?"-- |cProvided by publisher

Magic trash

2015

by J. H. Shapiro and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

This picture book biography of Tyree Guyton, an urban environmental artist, shows how he transformed his decaying, crime-ridden neighborhood into the Heidelberg Project, an interactive sculpture park. The story spans from Tyree's childhood in 1950s Detroit to his early efforts to heal his community through art in the 1980s. Tyree's awards include Michigan Artist of the Year and International Artist.--publisher

Mahalia Jackson

2015

by Nina Nolan and John Holyfield

A picture-book introduction to the gospel singer's life and career