FernFolio

Lily likes walking home from school with her mother, waving to Frank, the crossing guard, and visiting Mrs. Chan’s store for milk and the occasional treat.  But, when she bumps into a homeless man selling newspapers on her street, Lily is overcome with shyness and fear.  The man’s raggedy appearance and wild hair, and his soft, “Dollar for a paper,” have the little girl asking her mother to take the bus home for weeks after their encounter.
When winter comes and the first snow begins to fall, Lily wants to enjoy the fat flakes and asks her mother if they can walk home from school.  Once again, they are approached by the paper man who stands shivering in the cold weather.  Lily is troubled by the sight of the man’s thin shirt poking through the holes in his coat, his bare feet thrust into broken shoes, and his bare head and hands.  Her mother’s response, that they are fortunate to have warm clothes and a warm place to live, starts the little girl to thinking of ways to help the paper man.  With her friends Frank, the crossing guard, and Mrs. Chan, as well as her parents, Lily succeeds in making the paper man feel warmer than he has been in a very long time.
Lily and the Paper Man is a lovely story about how individuals, even young children, can make a small difference in the lives of others.  Charmingly illustrated by Renne Benoit.
FernFolio Editor