Newbery+Awards

Carlson, Natalie S. (1990). //The Family Under the Bridge.//New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. The //Family Under the Bridge// is a novel about an old hobo that spends his days wondering around the streets of Paris, France and his nights under the Paris bridges. A The main character of the book, Armand, is perfectly content with his carefree life and cannot comprehend the reason why anyone would want to raise children and thinks people would be better off without them. One day he returns to his bridge and discovers three red-headed children hiding under a canvas in his spot under the bridge. Before long, Armand is parading the little starlings all over Paris and taking them to see Father Christmas to brighten their day. The children, Evelyne, Suzy, and Paul are waiting for their mother to return from work and have been put out of their home because Madame could not afford the rent. They become friends with Armand and treat him like their grandfather and plead with the mother to keep him around. With a stroke of bad luck as the authorities are trying to find the children and the gypsies take them into their community, Armand realizes how much this new family means to him. He wants to care for the family and decides to get a job and a real home for them to live in. They suddenly become one big happy family living in the midst of Paris. The children believe that Father Christmas has answered their request for a new home. This novel received the Newbery Honor because of the realistic portrayal of homelessness, love, and its tenderness of treating what was once a real situation in Paris as something that could be overcome. It is also an excellent story about unconditional love.
 * Newbery Honor Book** //**The Family Under the Bridge**//

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To the tune of "What a Wonderful World"

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Podcast @http://thekeeper-001.podomatic.com/entry/2012-04-19T09_13_13-07_00