Lily and the Paper Man (by Rebecca Upjohn & Renne Benoit)

Lily lives in a neighborhood where everyone is friendly and familiar. But that all changes when she crashes straight into a homeless man selling newspapers on the street. Terrified by his bedraggled appearance and growling voice, Lily avoids him from that day on… until the first snow fall. Then Lily starts to notice just how cold he looks in the icy winter air, shuffling from foot-to-foot with his bright red ears and thin, torn clothes, and slowly she realizes that she can do something to help.

In her debut picture book, Lily and the Paper Man, Rebecca Upjohn does a remarkable job of realistically portraying an important social issue through the eyes of a child. Lily’s candid observations, innocent questions, and genuine empathy transform a nameless and threatening stranger into a member of the community. Engaging, heartwarming and sincere, this story unobtrusively delivers a message of shared human compassion, while showing readers of all ages how a single child can make a difference.

The emotion and candor captured by this story are beautifully brought to life in Renné Benoit’s soft yet bright watercolors. Benoit’s portraits add another layer to the text, brilliantly capturing the characters’ subtle emotions.

Lily and the Paper Man is a great choice for parents and teachers alike in opening the conversation on, or merely drawing attention to, this important but difficult topic.

Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Winter 2008. Vol.31 No.1.

The Last Loon

edition:eBook

also available: Paperback

tagged : birds

More Info

Included in the sponsored collection: New ebooks From Canadian Indies

Goodbye To Griffiths St

tagged :

More Info

Included in the sponsored collection: Discover the diverse world of BC books

Fraser Bear

A Cub's Life

More Info

Included in the sponsored collection: Discover the diverse world of BC books

Mooncakes

tagged : asian

More Info

Included in the sponsored collection: Discover the diverse world of BC books

Librarian review