(English and Spanish versions include different books)

Two of every five California children live in low-income families—and that statistic comes from before the recent economic crisis. Many young children are dealing with the pressures of poverty—others could benefit from awareness of what they are going through. These children’s books show how friends, families, and neighbors come together with compassion and determination to help confront hardships with sharing, teamwork, and ingenuity.

A Shelter in Our Car, story by Monica Gunning and illustrations by Elaine Pedlar. Zettie and her Mama, immigrants from Jamaica, don’t have a home and live in their car, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bathing in the park. Zettie goes to school while her Mama looks for a job. Zettie is embarrassed by their situation, but is determined to make it work until Mama gets a job. This story reflects the realities of homelessness for children and families. Ages four to seven. (Children’s Book Press, 2004)

Mi Propio Cuarto/My Very Own Room, story by Amada Irma Pérez, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. A young Mexican-American girl describes growing up in a small house full of brothers, friends, and relatives. She values her family’s closeness, but longs for her own room. Peeking behind the curtain of a storage room, she finds her place. Her family helps clear out the storage area, paint it, and find furniture. At night, she reads stories to her younger brothers in her new room. Children will enjoy this story about a family with a lot of love and creativity, but not much space. (Children’s Book Press, 2000)

Rent Party Jazz, story by William Miller and illustrations by Charlotte Riley-Webb. In this Depression-era tale, young Sonny is determined to help earn rent so he and his mother won’t be evicted from their New Orleans home after she loses her job. Already working before school for the coal man, he considers quitting school and taking a second job, but his mother says education is too important. The solution comes when Smilin’ Jack, a popular jazz musician, volunteers to play at a “rent party” to raise the money. The party raises enough money and Smilin’ Jack has so much fun he decides to throw more rent parties. Miller explains in the afterward, that, historically, these popular rent parties were important venues for early jazz musicians. Ages four to seven. (Lee & Low Books, 2001)

Four Feet, Two Sandals, story by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed and illustrations by Doug Chayka. Lina and Feroza, two young girls living in a refugee camp in Pakistan, each pick up a sandal thrown off of a relief truck. At first, they each wear one sandal; the next day, they decide to share, each wearing both for a day and then switching. They quickly become friends. When Lina moves to America, the girls split the sandals to help them remember each other until they can share again in America. This is a timely celebration of the power of friendship in a difficult time and place. Ages four to seven. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007)

Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression, story by Kate Lied and illustrations by Lisa Campbell Ernst. During the Depression, Clarence, Agnes, and their daughter, Dorothy, lose their house in Iowa when Clarence loses his job. When they hear that there are jobs in Idaho picking potatoes, they borrow a car and travel there. Living in tents, they spend their days picking potatoes for the farm owner, then spend nights gathering leftover potatoes from already-harvested fields. After two weeks they fill the car with potatoes and head home, where they trade their potatoes for groceries, clothes, even a pig. When times get better, the family continues to tell the story of their potato-picking nights. Author Kate Lied wrote this story when she was eight, after she heard it from her aunt Dorothy. Ages four to seven. (National Geographic Society, 1997)