I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A good introduction for children into the issue of homelessness. I thought the pictures were well done and the text represented well the sorts of questions children have.

I absolutely love this book. Teaching kids about how not to judge people by the way they look. Heartwarming and lovely.

I thought this book was well written. It showed the point that a little boy was not that different from a homeless man that lived under a bridge. It showed compassion and helped the little boy to not be fearful or afraid of people that are in different circumstances. Beautiful, bold illustrations.

'The One with the Scraggly Beard' by Elizabeth Withey with illustrations by Lynn Scurfield is a picture book that tackles a difficult subject.

A child sees a man sleeping under a bridge and has questions for his mom. There are of course no easy answers about the different paths that life can take. The child wonders if his life will take the same path. The book ends with an afterword about how this story is connected to her personally.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book based on the description. It is handled with the exact right touch, neither steering away from the far, but also remembering that there can be compassion too. The illustrations are beautiful.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

If you live in an urban centre, chances are you have passed a person experiencing homelessness and if you have a child, chances are they have asked questions. Very rarely, if ever, has children’s literature explored the topic of homelessness.

The One with The Scraggly Beard by Elizabeth Withey and Lynn Scurfield is a beautiful, lyrical exploration from a child’s perspective about a homeless man who lives in his neighbourhood. Told with love but also with a realistic portrayal of a homeless person. Elizabeth Withey writes from personal experience, she has a brother experiencing homelessness. When she had to talk to her son about his uncle. It’s really difficult for children to understand why someone doesn’t have a home and Elizabeth Withey sheds some light and moves us to be empathetic to those we encounter.

The illustrations by Lynn Scurfield are brilliant. They are full of colour and joyful when they must be and dark when they must be. No space is is left untouched by the artist’s hand.

Orca Book Publishers is remarkable at publishing the stories we need. The book sellers are proud to delve into some tricky topics. It is so important for booksellers to choose to publish books because they are needed by our readers rather than relying on old tropes and narratives that are traditionally published. We need more Canadian publishers to follow the lead of Orca Book Publishers when they are acquiring new stories.

In this story, geared toward younger children, a young boy talks about a man he sees often, who he calls The One with the Scraggly Beard. The boy notices things about the man that they have in common, such as having a missing tooth and messy hair, and things that are different; the man sleeps under a bridge. He asks his mother if he'll be like the man someday, and she explains, in a nonjudgmental way, how sometimes peoples' lives take different paths. Her explanation is a little vague, but is suitable for the book's intended audience. The tone of the story expresses empathy, and reminds us that we are all human, no matter our status. The final illustration shows the boy, mother, and man all sitting together comfortably, like family, followed by an author's note telling the reader the story is based on her personal experience; her brother is homeless. She explains her story in a straightforward way, letting children know it's okay to have confused emotions about the subject. The story itself hints at a connection between the boy and the man, but it's more obvious after reading the author's note. The illustrations are beautiful- bright, saturated colors, imaginative scenes, lush detail- and really add a lot to the story.

#TheOnewiththeScragglyBeard #NetGalley

I'll be honest. I read this book four times over the course of about two weeks trying to get a handle on it. On the one hand, I was really pleased to see a picture book that addressed homelessness, and I would love to see more picture books that considerately address that topic in a way that children would be able to understand and respond to. On the other hand, this book felt a little muddled to me, mostly because I had trouble identifying the relation of the characters to each other.

The One with the Scraggly Beard refers to the homeless man that a child has asked his mother about. That's where I get lost a little. I have trouble identifying how the mother knows the man. The author's note at the end implies that the mother might be the homeless man's sister since the author has just such a relationship, but the text itself seems to imply a more distant relationship. It's a bit confusing.

In either case, the mother is a little evasive when responding to her son's questions, seemingly dodging saying anything too specific about the man or identifying him if she does in fact know him. I can picture a child being frustrated with his mother if that's all he managed to get in response to his questions. In all, the text does seem to focus on giving the man a broad, generic backstory that could represent a large swath of people for young readers. In its attempt at broadness, it doesn't say much about the character or their situation he faces.

Readers might be left wishing that the author had said more at the end, but I'd say this was a good attempt to open up the discussion of homelessness with child readers. I'll be getting it for my library when it becomes available, though I wish it somehow could have said more.

This book is a wonderful way to talk to kids about someone who is homeless. The author is an authentic voice who has had to share the story with her kids. The many with the scraggly beard are not someone to be afraid of, but a person. It doesn't try to give explanations to homelesness, and isn’t preachy, it's just here that there is a person who is like us, with a slight difference. The main protagonists are white and the one with the scraggly beard is up to interpretation.
#LitsyAtoZ
#BBRC

This is a simple book. However, for the suggested age range (ages 3 - 5), it works well as an introduction to a topic which is not often addressed in picture book format. The text is accompanied by gentle, colorful illustrations that pair well with what the narrator is experiencing as well as what he is imagining.

The narrator is a boy who often sees The One with the Scraggly Beard living under the turquoise bridge nearby. He asks his mom questions that are realistic for a young child to ask, and his mother's responses show an empathy for the individual without delving too deeply into the topic. The boy also notices similarities between himself and the gentleman (my favorite being that the man has pockets full of tools while the boy has pockets full of rocks).

The book does not delve as deeply into the topic as some readers/parents/teachers may like, but it can serve as a springboard to further conversations if they are needed. The impetus for the book was the author's son meeting his uncle who has been living on the street for several years. The author's note gives more details and expresses her own varying emotions when thinking about her brother. This is a book well worth adding to the shelf especially if trying to expand the diversity of texts.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheOnewiththeScragglyBeard #NetGalley

Sometimes, the right words for a book this wonderful come slowly. The story's events are seen through the eyes of a young boy who is overflowing with questions about someone he calls The One with the Scraggly Beard, a homeless man who sleeps beneath a nearby bridge.

Readers might expect a little boy to be full of questions, but what sets him apart is his ability to really see someone whose life is so unlike his own, while also possessing the innocent courage it takes to understand that they aren't so very different from one another after all.

Elizabeth Withey and illustrator, Lynn Scurfield, have bravely crafted a story that will fill readers with the longing to recapture all that's best about a child's heart and the willingness to ask the hard questions and truly see painful realities.

Read this one aloud with your children. Your family won't soon forget it, for The One with the Scraggly Beard is one of those rare books that will simultaneously leave your hearts broken for the hurting and put the pieces back together with the hope that, one day, as love and empathy flourish, the pain of all those sleeping under bridges tonight will be healed.

I'm not quite sure what I think of this. I'd like to hear what houseless individuals and houseless advocates say about it. I think we need visibility about houselessness. I think the author's note is really good-- how home is where the love is.

#TheOnewiththeScragglyBeard #NetGalley How do we explain some of the ugly realities of life to very young children? Experts tell us that it is best to tell them just what they are able to hear and understand. Elizabeth Withey and illustrator Lynn Scurfield do a great job explaining the world and the basic needs of the homeless in words and pictures that speak to the heart. They leave no doubt that everyone deserves to be treated with empathy and respect. Their work is sure to make an impact on the young people that are fortunate enough to listen to this story.

What a beautiful picture book about homelessness. We talk with our young kids a lot about the homeless folks we see, and we try to do helpful things for our local homeless folks. We pack up bags with food and supplies and hand them to the people we see at stoplights, to school-supply shopping for parents who need supplies for their kids, get favorite cups of coffee for a man we drive by everyday and walk up to have a chat. Really simple things, but I hope it is helping my kiddos see the world through more inclusive and compassionate lenses. I hope they SEE homeless folks and don’t just lock their car doors and drive on.

So, when I saw this title on NetGalley, I was really excited. It aligns so well with the conversations we as parents have with our kids, but Withey incorporates the most beautiful metaphors to illustrate the concept of homelessness and how some folks end up there. She also comes from a place of understanding; the authors note discusses her brother’s homelessness and how it affects both him and her.

This is a really simple story with gorgeous, vibrant illustrations. It isn’t a plot-driven book so much as an awareness- and message-driven one. Children will see another child who has an interest in and takes notice of a local homeless person. They’ll see that child asking a parent about what that means and bringing up some tough questions. And the metaphor that’s used to describe how things like this happen will stick with me for a long time.

This was the perfect way to continue our conversations on this topic, and I’m grateful to the author and illustrator for creating such a quietly profound work for children. My boys are three- and five-years-old, and this story was perfect for them. I look forward to buying a physical copy of this for our family.

Thank you to Orca Book and NetGalley for the advance copy. This review is completely unbiased.

A unique look at homelessness through the lens of a young child. Told with empathy and understanding, Withey writing shines.

This is a great book about a boy and a homeless man. The boy sees the one with the scraggly beard and wonders why he is living under a bridge. He notices they have similarities while talking to His mother. There aren’t many books about people that are homeless. This is a good one to start a discussion.

The One with the Scraggly Beard follows the questions of a curious little boy. He wants to understand why the man sleeps outside, and his mother beautifully answers all questions with poise. This is a powerful story that humanizes the homeless people that so many judge. A lesson needed for both kids and adults.

There are not enough stars available to adequately express how moving and beautiful I found this book. The author has managed to make the complex issue of homelessness able to be considered even by young children. Honestly, she brings it to a level most adults will appreciate. It’s easy to get lost in the myriad of causes and forget the simple truth that everyone was once a child. The illustrations are gorgeous and colors are used to enhance the tone of each portion of the story. This is one that will forever stick with me.

The One with the Scraggly Beard by Elizabeth Withey, and charmingly illustrated by Lynn Scurfield, is a beautifully rendered account of the author's personal experience of her own brother's homelessness as she answers her young son's many questions with honesty and compassion. Rather than focus on the differences between the young boy and the man who lives under the bridge, the emphasis is on the similarities that he and the man share. When the young boy asks if he will grow up to find himself in a similar situation, his mother tells him that none of us can see what lies beyond the horizon.

This is an important story, told with tremendous empathy and understanding, and should be shared with all young children to promote love, kindness, and humanity. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a beautifully written and beautifully illustrated children's book that deals with homelessness in a really affirming, honest way. A young boy tells the story of a man who sleeps under a bridge near him and tells all the ways they are alike (they are both missing a front tooth, though the boy will grow a new one, they both forget to brush their hair, and so on). He tells of questions he's asked his mother and how she's answered them, which are respectful and simple enough for a child to understand. And end note from the author says that her brother doesn't have a home, which helps explain the tone of the book. It doesn't ignore the sadness of the situation but presents the man as a person like all of us, who was once a child as we all once were.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Based on the author having to explain her homeless brother to her son, this book very gently explains a homeless man to her son.

The boy has some many questions. Why does he sleep outside? Is he afraid of the insides of houses?

No, his mother said, he is afraid of the dark, just like the little boy.

And the questions are very simple and the answers are as well.

Gentle way to explain how the homeless are as human and simliar to the little boy. A good book to use.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.