Book Review: “A Place to Stay: A Shelter Story” by Erin Gunti

Recommended reading age: 5 to 9 (though kids of all ages can enjoy reading this with their families)

What Makes This One of the Best Children’s Books

Many families encounter homeless individuals in their communities, whether on a daily basis or just every now and then. If this attracts children’s attention, it can lead to a deluge of questions.

I’ve discovered just the book to help. Children can gain a more clear and empathetic perspective about homeless individuals from Erin Gunti’s poignant-yet-heartening book “A Place to Stay: A Shelter Story.”

This book helps to frame the topic of homelessness in a visually bright story that children can understand and appreciate. On top of that, the story also demonstrates a crucial coping mechanism that can help young readers keep a cool head in daunting situations.

In this tender book, a mother and daughter arrive at a women’s shelter with just a couple bags between them. For the little girl, the homeless shelter simply represents a fascinating new place. Looking with the judgment-free viewpoint of a child, she takes a tour of the facility.

Her exploring provides a useful introduction of how homeless shelters operate. With the illustrations conveying a clean and well-organized facility, readers learn all the resources a shelter can offer.

The book also delivers many subtle details. In one picture, a woman at the shelter cries alone in a corner, a quiet reminder that people in shelters often face challenging times.

The book proves most uplifting when the mother guides her daughter in adapting to their new surroundings with a deftly imaginative game.

When the pair look at the small room they’ll be sharing, the mother prompts her daughter to imagine the room as a rocket ship. When they arrive at the cafeteria full of strangers, her mother pretends they’re at a medieval banquet, helping her daughter relax and get acquainted with another girl.

This game continues throughout the book, helping both mother and daughter keep anxiety at bay. Esteli Meza’s illustrations joyfully merge the real and the pretend, bringing their conjured worlds to life.

This provides a significant lesson for kids, that simply using their imaginations can help them get through difficult times.

Above all, this book gives a face (and a story) to the homeless population, and demonstrates the essential role that shelters provide for community members of all ages.

It will hopefully encourage young readers to empathize… and perhaps even compel them to help.

How My Child Reacted to This Book

My son loves playing pretend, so he seemed delighted in watching the little girl and her mother transform their surroundings with their ongoing game.

He noticed a lot of details (like the woman crying) and asked many, many questions about homeless shelters, including who goes there and why.

The book itself helped me answer many of the questions, as I pointed out different explanations and details in the pictures.

Potential Conversations and Activities to Pair with This Book

“A Place to Stay” offers families a direct opportunity to candidly discuss homelessness with children.

The book even provides a helpful start, with an explanation at the end about various ways that people can become homeless, and how shelters provide a vital resource for them.

This can also bridge into discussing the importance of volunteers at shelters. Families might even consider volunteering at a shelter together, helping to plant a seed of volunteerism with kids.

Families can also try out the mother’s game of pretend themselves. This can provide a useful tool for kids at times that they feel anxious or scared, even with a simple fear of the dark.

More Children’s Books Like This

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