3 Children’s Books About Food Insecurity

After her mom’s van breaks down, the Hunger Monster arrives. Money is tight, the fridge is empty, and the Hunger Monster follows Lulu everywhere. At home, to school, and back again, Lulu can’t concentrate as the creature haunts her every step. What’s worse, her mom won’t talk about it. Lulu and the Hunger Monster gives adults a chance to talk about childhood hunger with kids in ways that they’ll understand. As she moves through the world, small actions from others help keep the Hunger Monster away, making Lulu feel less alone. It also shows how everyday actions—by kids and adults—can help end childhood hunger.

When Molly and her mom run out of food at home, they go to the food pantry. One weekend, Molly sees a classmate from school at the food pantry. Caitlin’s embarrassed to be there, but Molly welcomed her, showing her that there’s nothing to be ashamed of—we all need help sometimes! Saturday at the Food Pantry helps take away the shame of going to food pantries and accepting help from others. It teaches children to be kind to one another in the face of big ideas of class and who “deserves” help.

Everyone falls on hard times, and when we do, we all need community. Our Little Kitchen celebrates a community coming together to make a meal, each person bringing what they’ve grown or bought. Together, they make a meal for the entire neighborhood, sharing good food and even better company. Alone, no one has enough food to make a meal. But by leaning on each other, the community has enough to feed everyone. Food brings people together, and that’s worth celebrating.