Lily and the Paper Man

Lily always enjoyed walking home from school with her mother, until the day she encountered a scruffy-looking older man, selling newspapers outside of Mrs. Chan's store. Terrified by his unsmiling face, growling voice, and unkempt appearance, Lily began to opt for the bus, in order to avoid this frightening "Paper Man." But then one snowy day, enchanted by the winter wonderland around her, Lily decided to walk home again, and (bumping into the Paper Man) noticed some things she had overlooked before. Like how thin the Paper Man's clothing was, how tattered and full of holes; like how cold he looked, standing outside with his papers. Why wasn't he wearing any socks?, she asked her mother. The answer set Lily to thinking - about how show more fortunate she was to have a safe, warm home, and about what she could do to help the Paper Man...

This lovely little picture-book addresses some very serious problems - poverty, homelessness, childhood fears - in a gentle, sensitive way, offering a realistic and respectful depiction of the issues, without veering too far into the traumatic. Lily's feelings of fear are natural, but so too is her desire to help, once she overcomes that fear, and Upjohn captures both very nicely in her narrative. Renné Benoit's beautiful watercolor illustrations, which I found particularly appealing in the snowy scenes, really accentuate the emotional impact of the story, whether that be Lily's fear of the Paper Man, or her delight in a snowy day. All in all, Lily and the Paper Man - published by the woman-owned feminist publisher, Second Story Press - is a wonderful book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for a good introduction, for younger children, to issues like hunger, homelessness, and fear of strangers. show less

Lily likes walking home with her mother so she can see the crossing guard and Mrs. Chan. She doesn't like seeing the man that sells papers. He makes her uncomfortable. So for awhile they take the bus to avoid him. Then Lily notices that he looks cold and she comes up with a plan.
In my opinion-an oversimplified view of homelessness and how we can help, but could be good for helping children who are scared/startled by the houseless.

This book was returned to my library with a thank you note from the parent of the child who had checked it out. The note said that the book had had a positive effect on the child who read it and thanked the library for having it in the collection. I read the story myself after reading the note and teared up while sitting at the reference desk. This story teaches empathy and compassion for your fellow human beings. It's absolutely wonderful!

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 show more 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.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I thought this was a really cute book. Lily notices a man that looks like he is cold but looks scary. She is frightened by him but he continuously smiles at her. She finally notices that he looks so cold and talks with her parents about it. She ends up finding and giving clothes to him to keep him warm. I think this is a really good book to inspire kids to be selfless and to remember others. This is more of a fantasy book that teaches good morals.

Upjohn, Rebecca. Lily and the Paper Man.New York: Second Story Press, 2007. In this very heartwarming book a little girl steps out of her own personal comfort and shows compassion for a homeless paper man on the a snowy cold street. This story will help children to understand that it is good to help others and to be grateful for their own blessings. The watercolor illustrations are so precious (especially the paper man's reaction to her kindness). The characters are very human and repond just the way people do, which makes this mstory even more appealing. Age Group: 4-9 years.

This story was inspired by the author's own experience with her son when he was Lily's age. This story made me cry as I saw a young child's determination to make a difference for one man.

Last week my husband discovered a homeless lady sleeping in the automatic teller area of a bank. (He gave her some money but what she really needed was a warm and safe place to sleep.) When the temperatures are below 40 degrees Celsius with the wind chill, I worry about the homeless people in our city.