Miss Pinkeltink's Purse

Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People - NCSS/CBC

From its humorous opening through its sad midpoint and uplifting end, Miss Pinkeltink’s story shines a light on humanity. This story with children as agents of positive change reminds us again that communities are best known by their treatment of the disadvantaged among them.

"Rosy-cheeked and quite antique, Miss Pinkeltink / carried everything but the kitchen sink. / Her purse was so big that it dragged on the floor. / When she rode on the bus it got stuck in the door."

Generous and eccentric, Miss Pinkeltink fills her huge purse with everything from a toilet plunger to roller skates, and then gives it all away. She offers tape to fix a flat tire and a bone to a kitty: Miss Pinkeltink’s gifts never quite hit the mark, / but she gave what she had, and she gave from the heart. And then, with nothing left to give or to shelter herself, she huddles on a park bench, trying to sleep in the rain. And that’s where Zoey sees her from her bedroom window and knows that something must be done.
PATTY BROZO (Green Valley, AZ and Traverse City, MI) has been writing stories for and about children since taking creative writing classes in college. She is the author of Miss Pinkeltink’s Purse and The Buddy Bench.

ANA OCHOA lives in Mexico and learned the art of children’s book illustration from M. Claude Lapointe at L’Ecole Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in France. Her illustrations for Storms in a Bottled Sea were selected for the Illustrators Exhibition in Bologna in 1997. Her work has been exhibited in Japan, Taiwan, New Delhi, Bratislava, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. She has worked for major publishing houses in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Her book The Chocolate Boy―with its main character a little Haitian boy who is subjected to discrimination and ignorance in a foreign land―was published in 2010 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“The concept of homelessness is brought down to the youngest child's level. This is a nonthreatening and simple introduction to the topic for young children who have no prior exposure to homelessness. Simplistic but heartfelt, earnest, and a discussion starter.” - Kirkus

“...A beautiful example of how we can and should all help each other regardless of our differences. This book fills the need for stories that demonstrate civic engagement, what it might be like to be homeless and all alone in the world, and that one person absolutely can make a difference. -- Starred Review” - Sandy Kelly, JVFletcher Library, Westford, MA, Youth Services Book Review

“With her patchwork dress, messy gray bun, and reading glasses, Miss Pinkeltink resembles everyone’s favorite granny in this rhyming, warmhearted introduction to charity, social outreach, and homelessness. It includes links to organizations created by young people and helpful tips for families and children interested in making a difference in their communities.” - Foreword Review