Unhoused, Puzzles, And More!

This is another beautifully illustrated picture book about a little girl and her papa spending a day together. They take a walk, go to a coffee shop, and play their violins outside. That’s when the narrator meets Papa’s friend, Mister Blue, who is unhoused. He and Papa are military veterans and served together. Mister Blue plays the drums. The little girl has lots of questions about Mister Blue, and when it rains, they invite Mister Blue over and make music together inside. It’s a simple and stunning picture book.

One day, on the walk to school, Jess and her mom see a woman in a doorway sleeping with her cat. The next day, her mom stops and chats with the woman, whose name is Grace. After that, Mom and daughter put together boxes for Grace and her cat Luna and eventually hear about her story as a refugee. When Jess brings a Christmas card, they find Grace has disappeared.

This picture book biography is about Kip Tiernan, the woman who opened the first unhoused women’s shelter in Boston in 1974. It begins with her childhood during the Great Depression and how she helped her grandmother feed unhoused men who came to her door. But Kip noticed some women dressed as men to get food. She also noticed women sleeping outside on benches. She vows to help these women and devotes her life to doing so. The watercolor illustrations are lovely, and this is an important biography about a little-known but important figure in U.S. history.

This powerful middle grade novel follows 12-year-old Ojibwe Opin, who lives in a car with his mother and older brother Emjay. They’re trying to make it across California to move in with Opin’s uncle, but Emjay, who is constantly angry, frequently disappears, slowing down their trip. Opin’s days aren’t filled with much happiness until he finds and adopts a puppy. The unhoused shelter his mom finds, however, won’t accept pets.