Nice little story about an old homeless man who lives on the streets of Paris. He likes his freedom from what he considers the burdens of responsibilities like a job. He’s disgruntled one day to come ‘home’ and find three children huddled in his spot under a bridge, waiting for their mother. They’ve lost the place they rented and can’t quite afford a new one yet. Our tramp (the book uses this word repeatedly) doesn’t want anything to do with someone else’s children, but finds his heart gradually softening towards them. First he takes advantage of their cuteness and sweet voices to help him panhandle, then he takes them to meet his friends in a gypsy camp (another objectionable word used in this book) and later he ends up helping them find a new place to live. And realizing that being a little settled down with family to care for (who also care for you) isn’t so bad after all. The story is replete with Christmas season details and some light humor. I found it quite charming, which wasn’t my expectations at all. I thought it would be stuffy and old-fashioned and it is some of that, but really I liked it better than I had anticipated. ( )

Independent time reading for ages 9 and up. Newbery Honor Award. ( )

This is one of my favorite christmas books, even though there is a bit of problematic racist terminology. ( )

Armand was happy with his life as a hobo on the streets of Paris, with no job, no responsibilities, and no family. Then one winter day he discovered the three young Calcet children—Suzy, Paul and Evelyne—and their dog Jo-Jo under the bridge where he liked to shelter during the cold season. Evicted from their home, the children were living with their mother on the streets, afraid to seek shelter lest they be separated from one another by the authorities. Slowly, Armand began to take these "starlings" under his wing, helping them and their mother evade some well-meaning busybodies, and finding them shelter with his gypsy friends. But the old man knew in his heart that this family needed a home, and that somehow, he must help them to find it...

Published in 1958, The Family Under the Bridge was one of four Newbery Honor Books in 1959—the others were Along Came a Dog by Meindert DeJong, Chúcaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa by Francis Kalnay, and The Perilous Road by William O. Steele—and is a brief, beginning chapter-book for the younger intermediate set. Given its reputation, and the fact that so many of my friends seem to have loved it, I fully expected to be charmed by it myself, especially as the theme of a homeless family finally finding a home is one I always find heartwarming, a Christmas setting has great appeal for me, and the artwork of illustrator Garth Williams is a nostalgic favorite. For the most part, I was not disappointed, entering into the story with sympathy for both Armand and the Calcet children, rooting for their eventual discovery that they are in fact one big family, and happily triumphant at the conclusion, in which they find their home (and Armand finds his purpose). I don't know that I was as emotionally involved in the story, as I expected to be, given all of the above, but I certainly found it very engaging, and can see why it is a childhood favorite for so many. Recommended to young readers who are just getting into longer novels, and who enjoy heartwarming family stories set at the holidays. ( )

Independent reading: Grades 3rd-7th
Awards: Newbery Honor Award ( )