Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

My PPBF choice for this week is the first book I’ve seen that features a child dealing with foreclosure.

Title: Yard Sale
Written by: Eve Bunting
Illustrated by: Lauren Castillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2015 – fiction
Suitable for ages: 3-7
Themes/topics: moving, family, social issues

Opening: Almost everything we own is spread out in our front yard. It is all for sale. We are moving to a small apartment.
     
Synopsis: (from WorldCat.org)  Callie and her family are moving from their house to an apartment, so they’re having a yard sale. It can be hard to let things go, but in the end, it’s who you have – not what you have – that counts.

Resources/Activities
There are many possibilities for Reader Response, either in discussion or journals – What makes a house a home? Would you rather sell something or give it away? Why? What is something that you have with “memory marks” like Callie’s headboard? What’s the hardest thing about moving?

Schools or classes could create a “welcoming committee” for new students or brainstorm some ways to help others who are arriving or leaving.

Why I like this book: Eve Bunting has written many books dealing with difficult issues in a very compassionate way. Her latest, Yard Sale, uses a gentle narrative that offers comfort to those children who have experienced foreclosure or displacement and understanding to those who haven’t. Moving is hard no matter what the circumstances. The additional dimension of giving up your possessions and comforts brings the reality of many children to the forefront.

Visit author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books for a plethora of picture books listed by title and topic/theme, each with teacher/parent resources.