Home for Margaret, written by Denise Davy and illustrated by Berengere Delaporte. Groundwood, 2025. $21.99 ages 5 and up

 

"The next day Emma buys a red scarf with 
matching mittens and hat. She puts them
into a bag with oranges, apples and blueberry 
muffins. Mom fills another bag with bottles 
of water and blankets, and they head to the 
forest."

Weather here this week has taken a big-time dip in temperature, reminding us that November is usually this cold. It should be a reminder that many people are going to have great difficulty keeping warm. This gentle story introduces a young girl and her mom who know the meaning of caring and compassion for others. 

Emma and her mom are spending time outside in the Cherry Hill Forest. Snow covers the ground and Emma almost buries herself in it as she makes an angel there. No one else is on the trail as they hike along. They listen to the geese as they begin their migration south; Mom offers birdseed to feed the chickadees; and Emma runs off to see what the blue thing is under a nearby tree. 

To her surprise, it is a tent that looks a lot like an igloo. Inside there is a woman who has nowhere else to go. She steps out, looking cold and tired. Emma introduces herself, and asks the woman her name. It is Margaret. Mom catches up, and introduces herself as well. Emma has some questions. Margaret explains that she lives where she is, and that she does get cold. Snow surprised with its early arrival. She returns to her tent. 

At home, Emma has more questions for her social worker mother. Mom answers those questions before checking with shelters to see if there is a spot available to house Margaret. No such luck; the shelters are full. Emma has a few ideas. The bag she offers Margaret is accepted with thanks. At Christmas, Emma and her mom return with a warm coat and Christmas dinner. They learn that Margaret didn't like all the noise at an overcrowded shelter, and is hoping for a place she can call her own. 

Margaret's tent remains when Emma returns to the forest in the spring. Margaret is not there. The summer and autumn bring no change. One autumn day as they return from their hike, Emma spots a woman on the sidewalk who might just be Margaret. Hoping to help her before winter sets in once more, Mom calls a new agency. This time, the news is much better. 

An author's note explains that Margaret was a real person, a homeless woman she met one cold winter night while on assignment for her newspaper. She also offers readers a look at homelessness, and explains why it often happens. Communities are working to make conditions better, and everyone can play some small part by supporting shelters and food banks.