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 thems
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.
The House On Dirty-Third Street will touch the heart of anyone who has faced starting over in difficult circumstances.
Leveling Information
F&P (Fountas & Pinnell)
F&P Level: N
F&P Grade: 3
View Description for teachers/educators
"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
"The artwork in this story is amazing. While the whole book is done in beautiful watercolors, when the book begins we see grays, dark blues, tans and washed-out yellows. But as the story progresses, the colors soon change to bright yellows, bright blues, greens and reds... The message of the book is also shown through the changes in the coloration as the little girl's faith in her fellow man is brought to life by the help of neighbors and new friends from church."
— Krazy Karyn's Books blog
"The art in this book is amazing! Done with watercolors or maybe diluted inks (from what I can tell) in a semi-realistic style, it complements the story perfectly. The colors start out muted and washed-out, much like the story itself, and slowly become more and more vibrant reflecting the mood and changes in the emotions of the characters until the last page where we see the once rundown and sad house transformed and full of color."
— Paper Dreams blog
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Jo S. Kittinger
is a graduate of the University of Montevallo and the author of a number of children's books.Thomas Gonzalez
was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to the United States as a child. An artist and painter, he directed campaigns for clients such as Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, NASCAR, the NFL, and McDonald's. The first book he illustrated was the award-winning 14 Cows for America is. Gonzalez lives in Georgia.
View Biographical note