Review: Home for Margaret
Home for Margaret
Author: Denise Davy
Illustrator: Bérengère Delaporte
Groundwood Books, 2025
ISBN: 9781773067766 (hardcover)
9781773067773 (EPUB)
$21.99 CAD (hardcover)
$16.99 CAD (EPUB)
32 pages
Ages: 3 to 6 years old
Recommended library audience: Public or school library
On a walk with her mom one winter day, Emma meets a woman named Margaret living in a tent in the forest. Concerned for Margaret in the cold, Emma and her mom visit Margaret several more times that winter. They bring Margaret food and winter clothing, and Margaret shares the reality of what living in a homeless shelter is like. In the spring, Margaret disappears, and they don’t see each other again until the next winter. Wanting to help Margaret as much as possible, Emma gets her mom to call a new local welfare agency, which turns out to have a private room for Margaret. This book introduces the experience of homelessness and complicated systemic social issues in a direct yet thoughtful way. The author’s note at the end explains housing insecurity and suggests courses of action in a way educators may find helpful when discussing with children. This book is suitable for a children’s collection in a school or public library for ages 3-6.