Homelessness is a real issue, but most people tend to picture out-of-work adults as those without a place to call home, not children. Jim Hubbard, author of this book and founder of Shooting Back, an international photography project, shows us the true stories of four homeless children across our country. What makes the book so compelling is that the stories come from the children themselves. Two boys and two girls, from ages 9 to 12, share not only their stories of experiencing homelessness, but also an assortment of photographs that they themselves had taken of the people and places surrounding their lives.
The realization of the central concept of this book his heartbreaking, but to read the stories from each of these children and see them describe more of the good than the bad of their circumstances switches the tone to heartwarming. Each of these children found light in their lives, among the darkness that outsiders would tend to focus on. The beauty of their words paired with the amazing photographs that they had taken give the reader a glimpse of hope amidst the most unfortunate of situations.
Because this book, with the exception of the acknowledgements, forward, and resources section, is completely written by the children themselves, it is a great book for young readers to follow and for adults to appreciate. Although short in length, it is organized in a way that incites emotion and concern in the reader, while leaving you almost wanting more. The beauty found within these children's stories and photographs provides the reader with knowledge of the issue, while depicting the inspiring nature of the author's project. Even though this book was published 22 years ago, it still contains a wonderful message of perseverance and overcoming adversity, two concepts that even the youngest of readers are never too young to learn. This is a beautifully presented book that should continue to find a home on library shelves and continue to be shared with people of all classes and cultures. ( )