Thematic Lists

Best friends Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park, but while Sofia's fridge at home is full of nutritious food, the fridge at Maddi's house is empty. Sofia learns that Maddi's family doesn't have enough money to fill their fridge and promises Maddi she'll keep this discovery a secret. But because Sofia wants to help her friend, she's faced with a difficult decision: to keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi's empty fridge. Filled with colorful artwork, this storybook addresses issues of poverty with honesty and sensitivity while instilling important lessons in friendship, empathy, trust, and helping others. A call to action section, with six effective ways for children to help fight hunger and information on antihunger groups, is also included.

Part coming of age, part call to action, this fast-paced #ownvoices novel about a Deaf teenager is a unique and inspiring exploration of what it means to belong. Set in an ominously prescient near future, The Words in My Hands is the story of Piper: sixteen, smart, artistic, and rebellious, she's struggling to conform to what her mom wants--for her to be 'normal,' to pass as hearing, and get a good job. But in a time of food scarcity, environmental collapse, and political corruption, Piper has other things on her mind--like survival. Deaf since the age of three, Piper has always been told that she needs to compensate in a world that puts those who can hear above everyone else. But when she meets Marley, a whole new world opens up--one where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience and hope are created by taking action, building a community, and believing in something better.

Molly and her mom don't always have enough food, so one Saturday they visit their local food pantry. Molly's happy to get food to eat until she sees her classmate Caitlin, who's embarrassed to be at the food pantry. Can Molly help Caitlin realize that everyone needs help sometimes?

Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex's mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he's on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout. Free Lunch is the story of Rex's efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade--who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he's trouble--all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives. Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex's voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.

A seek-and-find picture book that portrays everyday altruistic efforts. Shriver's text invites readers to notice more than 50 heroic deeds in 10 illustrations. A hospital scene shows "Ten Hidden Heroes working night and day, nursing others back to health until they are okay," including medical staff members reading an X-ray and taking blood pressure. Other images highlight people reading to children, working at a food bank, building homes for those in need, running in a charity race, and doing other helpful activities

The people of Cuba are living in el período especial en tiempos de paz--the special period in times of peace. That's what the government insists that this era must be called, but the reality behind these words is starvation. Liana is struggling to find enough to eat. Yet hunger has also made her brave: she finds the courage to skip a summer of so-called volunteer farm labor, even though she risks government retribution. Nearby, a quiet, handsome boy named Amado also refuses to comply, so he wanders alone, trying to discover rare sources of food. A chance encounter with an enigmatic dog brings Liana and Amado together. United in hope and hunger, they soon discover that their feelings for each other run deep. Love can feed their souls and hearts--but is it enough to withstand el período especial?

Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic . . . everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor. Each day, Echo travels between two worlds, leaving her brothers, her friends, and a piece of herself behind on the East Side. There are dangers to leaving behind the place that made you. Echo soon realizes there is pain flowing through everyone around her, and a black veil of depression threatens to undo everything she's worked for. Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited is a transcendent coming-of-age.

A gentle introduction to the issue of poverty, On Our Street explores the realities of people living with inadequate resources. Using age-appropriate language, this book addresses mental illness, homelessness and refugee status as they are connected to this issue. Insightful quotes from individuals and organizations such as UNICEF are included throughout to add further perspective on the issue. An invaluable section on how kids can help empowers readers to take what they have learned and use it to make a difference.

Alemitu lives with her mother in a poor village in Ethiopia, where she must walk miles for water and hunger roars in her belly. Even though life is difficult, she dreams of someday knowing more about the world. When her mother has no choice but to leave her at an orphanage to give her a chance at a better life, an American family adopts Alemitu. She becomes Eva in her new home in America, and although her life there is better in so many ways, she'll never forget her homeland and the mother who gave up so much for her. Told through the lens that water connects all people everywhere, this eye-opening, emotional story will get readers thinking about the world beyond their own.

Katie's Cabbage is the inspirational true story of how Katie Stagliano, a third grader from Summerville, South Carolina, grew a forty-pound cabbage in her backyard and donated it to help feed 275 people at a local soup kitchen. In her own words, Katie shares the story of the little cabbage seedling and the big ideas of generosity and service that motivated her to turn this experience into Katie's Krops, a national youth movement aimed at ending hunger one vegetable garden at a time. Katie's Cabbage reminds us of how small things can grow and thrive when nurtured with tender loving and care and of how one person, with the support of family, friends, and community, can help make a powerful difference in the lives of so many.

Meet a teenage hero who likes nothing better than to sit back with a bucket of fried chicken and a girlie magazine, waiting for his family plumbing fortune to come to him. But when our hero gets into some serious trouble, he's forced to volunteer at a local soup kitchen where he finds himself at the center of a struggle between the rich and the poor, the selfish and the selfless. It is a worthy cause he could care less about until the day he stumbles across a shocking piece of information. What happens next surprises everybody, including our very reluctant hero.

A boy spends the day with Uncle Willie in the soup kitchen where he works preparing and serving food for the hungry

Drawing upon decades of research and myriad authentic classroom experiences, Kathleen M. Budge and William H. Parrett dispel harmful myths, explain the facts, and urge educators to act against the debilitating effects of poverty on their students. They share the powerful voices of teachers-many of whom grew up in poverty-to amplify the five classroom practices that permeate the culture of successful high-poverty schools: (1) caring relationships and advocacy, (2) high expectations and support, (3) commitment to equity, (4) professional accountability for learning, and (5) the courage and will to act. Readers will explore classroom-tested strategies and practices, plus online templates and exercises that can be used for personal reflection or ongoing collaboration with colleagues. Disrupting Poverty provides teachers, administrators, coaches, and others with the background information and the practical tools needed to help students break free from the cycle of poverty.

A treasury of activities, ideas, and resources, The Complete Guide to Service Learning can help teachers and youth workers engage young hearts and minds in reaching out and giving back. Author, and internationally known service learning expert, Cathryn Berger Kaye presents service learning--its importance, steps, essential elements, and challenges--within a curricular context.
Incudes a chapter entitled "Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty"

Similar to the previous 99 Jumpstarts to Research but designed for younger students, this book helps teachers and librarians to teach basic research and information literacy skills to children. To help them master the research process and narrow the limitless array of sources available on commonly researched topics in elementary and middle schools, students are taught a basic note-taking process and given specific source ideas and subject headings for each topic discussed. This book will be an invaluable tool to help school librarians and teachers broach the difficult task of beginning to teach the research process. Grades 3-8.
Includes a topic on Hunger in the United States

Help elementary students pursue academic goals while engaging in community service projects. Lend a Hand explores hunger and the homeless, animal welfare, health and safety, the environment, the elderly, literacy and education, building communities and promoting justice. Each chapter provides an introduction to the issue, an annotated bibliography, discussion prompts, examples of related service-learning projects and ideas for acting on needs in your community.
Includes a section entitled "Hunger and the Homeless"

Provide authentic, lasting learning opportunities for students in their own community Service learning offers students the unique opportunity to learn both in the classroom and in the real world. This exciting teaching strategy, detailed in Berman's second edition of Service Learning, motivates students to learn content information, processes, and skills while making authentic connections to their surrounding community. This valuable resource explains the benefits of service learning and provides a step-by-step guide for using the instructional model. It features nine service-learning projects that are broken down into basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. Each project features: Strategies for aligning service and curricular goals Tips for involving students in decision-making Guidelines for managing different phases of the project Activities that foster reflection and self-evaluation Tips for differentiating by tapping into multiple intelligences In this single resource, teachers will find everything they need to successfully implement service learning projects, helping students gain deeper understandings of content while positively impacting their communities.
Includes a project entitled "The soup troop: a health and family education service learning project"
Links to e-book formats are located at the bottom of the record

Combining scholarly analysis with a human-centered approach, this two-part series looks at the causes and effects of economic hardship in the United States while suggesting ways for society to combat the cycle of poverty. Situational, multigenerational, elder, and child poverty are all addressed through conversations with those who know hunger or homelessness firsthand. Leading socioeconomic experts and frontline activists are also interviewed, including David Broder of the Washington Post, Alan Berube of the Brookings Institute, and Jessica Bartholow, a community food bank administrator.
Part 2 may especially be of interest: "While poverty has traditionally been a problem only for the unemployed, a new demographic of Americans has emerged, the working poor. This program explores the disturbing realities that many people in low wage jobs face every day, such as having to decide whether to pay the rent, buy groceries, or see a doctor. Viewers will learn how standards of living are often measured, how suburban areas have fostered a particular type of economic hardship, and how welfare-to-work programs have, at times, led to more resistant poverty. The film also draws connections between America's immigration challenges and the swelling numbers of working poor. "

Presents an examination of the working poor in the United States. Several families describe their lives as members of the working poor community where one unexpected expense, sudden illness, or a missed payment could mean financial ruin

Profiles three young girls and their families living in poverty in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa, a part of the U.S. hard hit by the economic downturn that began in the late '00s.

Interviews with Professor Frances Fox Piven, David Jones of the Community Service Society, and Occupy Wall Street protesters give a critical perspective on the growing wealth gap in our country. EVC youth producers reflect on their families' struggles with poverty as they try to make sense of the country's economic and political crisis.

Today more than three billion people worldwide suffer from malnutrition, including one billion who are starving. The current global economic crisis has created food shortages, skyrocketing prices, and food riots in some countries. With the world of agriculture confronting the impact of such factors as global warming, population urbanization trends, changes in eating habits, and increased use of grains for biofuels, Seeds of Hunger outlines the shape of an impending global food crisis. Filmed in Africa, China, Latin America and the U.S.

Moorestown, New Jersey, has been designated "the best place to live in America." Ten minutes away is Camden, the poorest city in America, also known as Murder City, USA. During a period of 18 months, Diane Sawyer follows the lives of three youngsters who are used to seeing drug deals on street corners and hearing gunfire at night. What is it like for kids to live with no electricity, rushing to finish homework before sundown? To have no food to eat before school? To sleep on the floor with roaches, grateful just to have a roof overhead? Four-year-old Ivan is homeless and hungry, but looks forward to learning to read in kindergarten. Seventeen-year-old Billy Joe is determined to graduate from high school and get an honest job to help his family. Six-year-old Moochie lives in a dysfunctional family and dreams of getting a good education. All they need is the opportunity to prove themselves