The Homeless Hibernating Bear

Rating:
Summary: A touching homeless metaphor from children who lived it.
Review: I am not the author of this book, but it was my daughter's idea as an afterschool project for children living in the family shelter in Salt Lake City. During a 12-month period, a total of about 40 children met weekly, sometimes one child would show up, sometimes 30, but they thrashed out the plot, drafted the words and drew the pictures telling the story of Frankie, the homeless hibernating bear. He gets lost in a curious foray into Salt Lake City, takes refuge in a cardboard box and is taken to jail. It is homeless children who befriend and eventually rescue Frankie who is returned to his mother safe and sound. The beauty of this book is the point of view from which it is written. It is the rare voice of a homeless child that we hear in the assumptions and reactions of city residents who are quick to assume the negative when they encounter a child on the street. Some of the profits from this book went to emergency scholarships for homeless students, the remaining profits went to "The School With No Name," the school inside the shelter, to fund future student projects. Originally a project designed to empower disenfranchised children, the story of the emancipation of "Frankie" does more than give its authors an important life lesson. It reminds us all how important it is to hear other voices and to remember that it's true, even one person can make a difference in another's life, be it animal or human. An all-too-uncommon message of tolerance delivered imaginatively by and to children, though as the book points out, there are some adults who would benefit as well.