Library Book: A Chance to Shine

by Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin

Book Overview

Joe smelled kind of funny. He was a little bit weird.He wore trash can shoes, had a scraggly beard.He'd talk to the pigeons in front of Dad's store.I often wondered what he was sitting there for.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582463042
• ISBN13: 9781582463049
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: National Geographic School Publishing, Incorporated
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 10.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

Joe, a homeless man, hangs out on a park bench in front of the store that a boy's father owns, and the boy cannot help but notice Joe's unkempt appearance, funny smell, and odd behavior. The boy is puzzled one day when his father asks Joe to sweep the sidewalk every morning in exchange for free meals. His father's response, "Every heart needs a chance to shine," makes more sense over time as the boy witnesses Joe's transformation into an autonomous, productive, and employed member of the community. This inspiring book, which is accompanied by a musical CD recording of the story, gets top marks for combining artistic creativity with a powerful economics lesson about extreme poverty and the path to economic self-sufficiency.

A Chance to Shine & Learn

This book offers children and adults of all ages to experience first hand belonging, generosity, independence, and mastery. Its rhyming verses tell a story of a homeless man who was given a chance to shine by a family. It is told through the eyes of the child and is inspiring!