Saturday at the Food Pantry

August 15, 2021
A trip to a food pantry allows a child to both give and receive help. While many children's books about food pantries and soup kitchens focus on how children can help others, this story places a child in need at its center. Molly (who presents as a girl of color with light brown skin and full, wavy brown hair) and her mother (who has lighter skin and straight, dark hair) are experiencing food insecurity, as evidenced by the paltry items in the illustrations of their kitchen and Molly's grumbling belly when she goes to bed at night. Her mother tells her that they are going to get groceries at a food pantry--a place they've never before visited. When they arrive, they join a line of people waiting, including Molly's classmate Caitlin, who is embarrassed to be seen there. "Everybody needs help sometimes," Molly's mother has told her, and she finds Caitlin's evident sense of shame confusing. Molly passes time by drawing pictures, an activity Caitlin joins when others in line request drawings. They come to see their art making as a way of helping others, just as the good food in the food pantry, including a treat of cookies, helps them. Magro's na�ve illustrations emphasize her racially diverse characters' faces, expressions of concern far fewer than smiles in emphasis of the book's theme. Eminently helpful, affirming, and necessary. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 3 Molly and her mother, who lost her job, are waiting for the food market to open. Happy to see a classmate in line, Molly calls out to Caitlin, who doesn't immediately respond, but later whispers what she doesn't want others to hear, "Gran and I need help." Molly wonders if there's something wrong with needing food. Soon the girls are drawing pictures to pass out to people waiting in line and, later, those working at the food pantry. Noticing that Mom looks a little sad, Molly reminds her "Everybody needs help sometimes," words her mother had previously shared with her. The morning ends cheerfully with Caitlin and her grandmother eating lunch with Molly and her mother. An appended note encourages adults experiencing food insecurity to contact local distribution sites. Magro's nicely composed pictures illustrate the narrative with verve and finesse. Upbeat in tone but acknowledging the discomfort that many people feel when dealing with new experiences, this precisely worded story features a food pantry, a setting familiar to many children but seldom represented in picture books.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Mom tells Molly that they will visit a food pantry the next day, explaining, "Everybody needs help sometimes." While waiting in line, Molly spots her classmate Caitlin and is confused when Caitlin seems embarrassed to be there. As they put food in their cart, Molly's mom seems embarrassed, too, so Molly reminds her that it's okay to receive help. They leave with full grocery bags -- and find a way to help others, as well. The book gently destigmatizes food insecurity without being preachy; soft illustrations show friendly shoppers and workers, making the pantry look like a welcoming place. A note for adults from the director of the Greater Chicago Food Depository puts fictional Molly's story in context.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)