EBOOK
About
One day, when Emma and her mom are hiking through Cherry Hill Forest, they spot a blue tent in the snow - and inside lives a woman named Margaret!
Emma wonders why she's there, until Mom, who is a social worker, explains: "Some people have lost their job. Some have a health problem. No one chooses to be homeless."
Emma picks out a red hat, a scarf and a pair of mittens to keep Margaret warm, and she and her mom visit Margaret throughout the winter. But in the spring, Margaret is gone! Emma is worried, and wonders what has happened to her.
Seasons pass and Emma finally spots a woman downtown wearing red mittens! She is relieved - and she knows that there's one more thing she and her Mom can do to show Margaret that they care about her.
A sensitive portrayal of a person experiencing homelessness, as seen through the eyes of a child. Includes an author's note.
Key Text Features
writing inspiration
author's note
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
When Emma and her mom meet a woman who lives in a tent in the woods, Emma wonders if there's anything she can do to help.
• SENSITIVE PORTRAYAL OF BEING HOMELESS: Home for Margaret doesn't shy away from explaining the realistic barriers that someone experiencing homelessness might face, including a lack of shelter space and under-resourced social agencies. This is not a story about a child rescuing someone - it's a story of a child showing empathy to someone overlooked by society.
• NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED JOURNALIST: Denise Davy is a journalist most known for her work with the Hamilton Spectator. She specializes in reporting and writing about mental health, homelessness and gender inequality. This is Denise's first picture book.
• PURSES FOR MARGARET: Margaret is based on a real person. Denise met Margaret while working for the Hamilton Spectator and ultimately wrote an adult book about her life and death, Her Name Was Margaret (Wolsak & Wynn; 2021). This book contains an author's note that explains this real-life connection, and how becoming homeless is not the result of doing something wrong.
writing inspiration;author's note;illustrations
Emma wonders why she's there, until Mom, who is a social worker, explains: "Some people have lost their job. Some have a health problem. No one chooses to be homeless."
Emma picks out a red hat, a scarf and a pair of mittens to keep Margaret warm, and she and her mom visit Margaret throughout the winter. But in the spring, Margaret is gone! Emma is worried, and wonders what has happened to her.
Seasons pass and Emma finally spots a woman downtown wearing red mittens! She is relieved - and she knows that there's one more thing she and her Mom can do to show Margaret that they care about her.
A sensitive portrayal of a person experiencing homelessness, as seen through the eyes of a child. Includes an author's note.
Key Text Features
writing inspiration
author's note
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
When Emma and her mom meet a woman who lives in a tent in the woods, Emma wonders if there's anything she can do to help.
• SENSITIVE PORTRAYAL OF BEING HOMELESS: Home for Margaret doesn't shy away from explaining the realistic barriers that someone experiencing homelessness might face, including a lack of shelter space and under-resourced social agencies. This is not a story about a child rescuing someone - it's a story of a child showing empathy to someone overlooked by society.
• NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED JOURNALIST: Denise Davy is a journalist most known for her work with the Hamilton Spectator. She specializes in reporting and writing about mental health, homelessness and gender inequality. This is Denise's first picture book.
• PURSES FOR MARGARET: Margaret is based on a real person. Denise met Margaret while working for the Hamilton Spectator and ultimately wrote an adult book about her life and death, Her Name Was Margaret (Wolsak & Wynn; 2021). This book contains an author's note that explains this real-life connection, and how becoming homeless is not the result of doing something wrong.
writing inspiration;author's note;illustrations