Rebecca Upjohn, illustrated by Renne Benoit
Lily and the Paper Man
Second Story Press, 2007

Rating: G*

Walking home from school in her downtown neighbourhood, Lily becomes scared of a man in tattered clothing who is selling newspapers. Lily avoids him for weeks and it is winter when she sees him again. She is shocked that the Paper Man has holes in his shoes and is not wearing warm clothing. Her mother reminds her how fortunate they are that they do not have to worry about being cold and hungry. Lily does not know how to help the man, but eventually decides to collect warm clothing for him. She also gives him her very special quilt that she received when she was born.

This book is well structured because it portrays the logical progression of a young child’s response to human suffering, in this case homelessness. Lily’s first response to the Paper Man is fear and apprehension followed by curiosity and then empathy and compassion. That we only learn the Paper Man’s real name at the end of the story, when Lily no longer sees him as an object of fear but as a suffering human being, reflects her journey of understanding. This story does not delve into the hard issues concerning why Ray is homeless, and these questions will inevitably arise as children grapple with a reality that is very difficult for them to comprehend. Through warm and emotional illustrations, Renne Benoit does a very good job of contrasting the security of Lily’s world with the insecurity of Ray’s existence, thus highlighting the importance of finding some meaningful connection between the two.

Thematic Links: Homelessness; Sharing; Empathy

Zoe Johnstone
Vol. 13, number 2
December 2007

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.