Lily and the Paper Man

Lily is a little girl who walks home from school with her mother everyday, until she sees the Paper Man. She becomes frightened of the homeless man who tries to make a living selling papers for $1.00. After that they take the bus home each day. When winter comes and the first snowfall beckons, she wants to walk again. When she sees the paper man she notices that he is not very well dressed and he is not wearing socks, she can see his toes through the holes in his shoes. She asks her mother about him and she is told that he does not have warmer clothes and they are lucky to have so much. This starts her thinking. After a few days she is able to gather up or buy clothes, socks, a hat, scarf and mittens. She introduces herself to the paper man and finds out his name is Ray. She gives him everything in her bag, even her quilt that her grandma made her when she was little. both Lily and Ray are happy with this solution.

What a wonderful way to teach children about homelessness, compassion and social justice. It shows that anyone, no matter how young can make a difference if they set their mind to it.

Illustrated very nicely by Renné Benoit, this young children's picture book (with lots of text!) is the story of Lily and her haunting encounter with a down-and-out guy who is selling newspapers. I read this in Adobe Digital Editions on a desk-top computer, which made for an odd read since the book isn't really set up for electronic format. It shows both pages side-by-side which, unless you switch it to full screen, makes for very small images and smaller text. It definitely wouldn't work on a smart phone!

That said, the layout was wonderful, and the text readable, and the images delightfully colored and drawn to appeal to young eyes. I loved the self-righteous pigeon sheltering under the newspaper as the story began, and the almost Santa-like beaming face of the paper man at the end of it. Lily is walking home with her mom in the rain, and this is how she happens to encounter this guy - old, slightly menacing-looking, grizzled. She literally bumps into him, and decides she wants to take the bus home the next day so she doesn't run into him again. He definitely made an impression on her!

The problem arises when it snows, and Lily can't stand the thought of riding the bus with fresh snow on the ground. Of course, she encounters the same man, selling his papers, and looking like he's freezing with his thin jacket, holes in his shoes, and no socks. He doesn't seem threatening any more, and he may even have winked at her. Suddenly her mind is preoccupied with thoughts of the paper man, his clothes as thin as paper. She develops a plan.

This is not a Christmas story as such, but it's heart-warming enough to be one, and it's really well told. It's actually better that it's not a Christmas story because charity shouldn't be confined to one season. I consider this book a very worthy read.

I love to see stories that challenge children to think and to feel grateful for what they have, and I can see that 'Lily and the Paperman' would do just that. Full of points for discussion in the school classroom and within the family, Lily's sensitive contemplation of the paperman and her attempt at resolving the situation is heart-warming and educational. Adult readers would appreciate that this is indeed not the end of Ray's misery, but it is an excellent starting point for children. The accompanying illustrations are perfect. A lovely story.