This book is a very informative book to read to kids so they know some families go through financial hardships.

As I read this book so many emotions ran through my mind. This book shows children that they cannot alway get everything they want as the boy in this book wanted a dog. It’s a great way to introduce poverty and unemployment to young children.

This early reader gently introduces poverty and unemployment to the young reader around a story about a little boy who very much wants a dog of his own. He learns that he cannot always get exactly what he wants but love and compromise often bring something just as good in the form of a skinny little kitten found in a garbage can. This is also a story about empathy and families and beings pulling together. The father sets a wonderful example for his son by taking in the homeless kitten who had no place to go even though times were tight and a pet was not in the budget. It is a story about family, hope, and survival together. ( )

Tight Times is a story about a boy who wants a dog and whose family is going through "Tight Times." The family buys generic food letting the reader infer they are watching how they spend their money. Then one day the dad comes home in the middle of the workday unhappy telling the babysitter they don't need her anymore. After the boy's mom comes home, the parents have him go outside. He hears something rattle the garbage can outside their apartment. What will he find when he opens the lid? The story emphasizes the importance of family, especially during "tight times." ( )

A young boy learns the meaning of tight times in a story about a family living in poverty. ( )