The House on Dirty-Third Street

by Jo S. Kittinger, Thomas Gonzalez (Illustrator)

Overview

A mother and daughter turn a hopeless old house into a loving family home with faith, hard work, and the support of their community.

When a girl and her mother are forced to start over, they find themselves feeling isolated and defeated. Longing for their former neighborhood and friends, and overwhelmed by the repairs their new house needs, they finally realize they can't do everything alone. The only way to make things better is to ask for help. They both learn that when you reach out to the community, people answer with kindness. As the house gets rebuilt, so does their sense of belonging.

Stunning artwork from New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez provide a moving backdrop to Jo Kittinger's inspiring story that reveals how communities are created—or recreated—when people work together. The House on Dirty-Third Street will touch the heart of anyone who has faced starting over in difficult circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561456192
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/06/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	526,141
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jo S. Kittinger was born in Miami and lived in North Carolina, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida, before settling down in Alabama. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, she is the author of more than thirty-five children's books, as well as magazine and newspaper articles and educational materials.

Thomas Gonzalez is an illustrator, designer, and portrait artist. A native of Cuba, he came to the United States when he was ten years old. He studied at the Atlanta School of Art (now called Savannah of Art and Design). After working at the Coca-Cola Company for more than twenty years, Tom held several creative positions with other global brands. He has illustrated many picture books, including the New York Times best-seller 14 Cows for America. He lives in Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

"Here's a book promoting faith in a light-handed, even practical way without sacrificing one bit of its inspirational power. . . A low-key, heartening effort that will ring true to many."—Booklist

"A tale of generosity, faith and friendship. Share it quietly within and with others."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

K-Gr 3—A girl and her single mother move into an affordable but dilapidated house on "dirty-third street," as the girl derisively calls it. With all the restoration the house needs, as well as feeling cut off from her former church friends, her mother soon gets discouraged and her optimism wanes. The girl suggests they visit a church nearby, where she asks her Sunday school group to pray that she and her mother see their new home "with eyes of faith." Soon, people from the neighborhood and the congregation turn up at their door to lend a hand, transforming the fixer-upper into the home the mother dreamed about and helping them make new friends in the bargain. The realistic pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush illustrations subtly and effectively move from gray and bleak to colorful, reflecting the family's growing hopefulness. While the story line is simplistic, it underscores the timeless values of keeping faith and helping others through hard times.—Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT

School Library Journal

A girl and her mother move into an old, run-down house and dare to dream that one day it will become a cozy home. The story is tinged with an underlying heartache from the very start: "Mom said starting over would be an adventure, so I imagined a tropical island with palm trees and buried treasure. / Not this." All of the houses on 33rd Street are old, but one in particular is falling apart. The understandably crabby young narrator proclaims it to be "Dirty-third Street." Mother and daughter set to work cleaning and scrubbing, but there are so many other needed repairs, it seems hopeless. In a poignant example of a child's quiet strength, the narrator asks for help the next day at church. She wishes to see the house with eyes of faith; she wants to picture the potential instead of disappointment. Suddenly friends and neighbors start dropping by, each doing a small turn to help out. It's not "Dirty-third Street" anymore. Gonzalez's illustrations start pale, with a few tints of color and heavily sketched details. But when a spark of hope emerges, and the tide turns, cheeks are flushed and eyes start to sparkle. The sky blazes with a warm sunset on the final full-color spread. A tale of generosity, faith and friendship. Share it quietly within and with others. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews