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About The Can Man
Product Description Tim's birthday is just a week away, and more than anything he wants a skateboard. But money is tight, and Tim knows his family cannot afford to buy him a board. As Tim ponders how he might earn money for a skateboard, he hears The Can Man down the street collecting empty soft drink cans. The clang of the cans in the homeless man's cart gives Tim an idea. He will collect cans too, and cash them in for the redemption money. By the end of the week, Tim has almost reached his goal--until a couple of chance encounters with The Can Man change everything. Told with honesty and respect, this timely story shines a perceptive light on current social concerns. Readers will be encouraged to think beyond themselves and celebrate the simple acts of kindness and sharing that make a difference in people's lives. Review > by School Library Journal "The lengthy text describes the homeless man's situation without judgment, and Tim's parents don't pressure him to stop encroaching on Mr. Peters's turf, leaving him free to make his own decisions. The large illustrations, rendered in oil, depict an urban neighborhood of shops and multiethnic apartment dwellers. Pair the book with Ann McGovern's The Lady in the Box (Turtle, 1997) to help students consider the human face of homelessness." by Publishers Weekly "In Williams's ( The Best Winds) poignant story, Tim wants a skateboard badly, but money is tight. Watching a homeless man everyone calls the Can Man (except Tim's parents, who remember when he used to live in their building and still call him by name) collect cans to redeem for cash, Tim decides to do the same to bankroll his skateboard. As he encroaches on the man's turf, Tim suppresses flashes of guilt especially when the man says he hopes to buy a new coat "before the snow starts flying." After the Can Man offers his shopping cart to help Tim transport his cans to the redemption center, the boy hands him the money he's made. In an emotional final scene, Tim receives a skateboard that the Can Man has refurbished and personalized for him. Orback's ( Hot Pursuit: Murder in Mississippi) realistic oil paintings on canvas bring the tale's urban setting into clear focus in warmly lit scenes that illuminate the characters' feelings notably Tim's unease and his beneficiary's gratitude and readily transmit the weighty themes at work." by Booklist "The spare dialogue rings true, and the full-page oil paintings have a quiet realism reminiscent of Edward Hopper in scenes of Tim's close multiracial family indoors and the Can Man alone outside. A humanizing story that reaches beyond easy messages." --School Library Journal About the Author Laura Williams comes from a family of strong women, like Starshine. She is the author of several acclaimed novels including "The Ghost Stallion" and "Behind the Bedroom Wall," for which she received a Jane Addams Peace Award Honor. When she's not writing, Ms. Williams spends her time painting, drawing, and creating stained-glass. She lives in Avon, Ohio with her husband and two children. Craig Orback is a freelance children's book illustrator who graduated with a degree in illustration from Cornish College of the Arts. Since 2001, he has illustrated 18 children's books, including Boys Camp Book 1: Zack's Story, while simultaneously working on projects for children's magazines, school text books, and other avenues.You can visit him online at www craigorback com.
