Yard Sale
“Almost everything we own is spread out in our front yard. It is all for sale. We are moving to a small apartment.” A young girl’s parents have put a positive spin on their new place, with its “fun” bed in the living room that folds down from the wall, but she’s uncertain, especially as she sees strangers buy many of their belongings. When a man loads her bike into the back of his truck, she gets angry and tries to pull it back. Her dad reminds her there’s no place to ride at their new place (“I think his eyes are all teary”). Then a woman jokingly asks if the girl is for sale. “A shiver runs through me, from my toes to my head.” Her parents tell her they’d never sell her, “not for a million, trillion dollars. Not ever, ever, ev-er.” A child-centered narrative with small, believable, heartbreaking details and big emotional punch ends with the girl feeling reassured. The comforting illustrations ease the telling of a welcome story conveying a difficult reality. ©2015 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Change
Economic Hardship and Poverty
Families
Moving
Worry
Publisher:
Candlewick
Publish Year: 2015
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780763665425
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Bunting