The Family Under the Bridge
VERDICT: Recommended
(with caution)
Concern Level: Medium
Christian Parent Review
Concern LevelMedium
Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content
This story is of a homeless family and a homeless man joining together to create a family. In one section, the main character Armand lies to the children and explains that Father Christmas is unable to deliver a promised gift. In another segment of the book, Armand steals food because they are hungry and brushes off the theft as nothing serious. There is a brief mention as to why the family is homeless and the father in the family is gone, but it does not go into detail. These are obviously sensitive topics to many. There are gypsies who welcome and care for this little family until a police officer finds their camp and the gypsies leave for fear of persecution. These might make for a good discussion point, as Gypsy is also an outdated term, which can be substituted for Roma people. By the end of the book Armand still does not want to work and allows Madam Calcet (the mother) to do most of it while he stays with the kids and collects the paycheck, which he shares willingly with the family.
VerdictRecommended
Our Thoughts
This book covers real-life events in a way that is not scary or indoctrinating. Good Christian values are shared across the spectrum of main/named characters and if not at first apparent, they develop as the story progresses. The book is neither depressing or fantastical which can be refreshing. All the characters develop, grow and appreciate the blessings they receive. Armand is not an exemplary person, but he certainly grows and is less selfish and more considerate by the end of the book.
Plot SummaryNote: This information is typically from the publisher.Use with caution
This is the delightfully warm and enjoyable story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and one was better off without them. But the children who lived under the bridge recognized a true friend when they met one, even if the friend seemed a trifle unwilling at the start. And it did not take Armand very long to realize that he had gotten himself a ready-made family; one that he loved with all his heart, and one for whom he would have to find a better home than the bridge. Armand and the children's adventures around Paris - complete with gypsies and a Santa Claus - make a story which children will treasure. Ages 8 to 12; 128 pages.
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Other Reviews for this Book
Plugged In
This is a long review where the reader is left without a solid feel of whether it would be recommended from a Christian perspective.
Plugged In often 'buries the lead' when it comes to concerning content. Here it is a smaller item, but they do omit the item on stealing. Also, the review dramatizes the police involvement.
Read ReviewSonlight Curriculum
No review, but including to show that a Christian Cirriculum publisher trusted this resource enough to include it in their set.
Read ReviewScripture Reflection
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 'I have the right to do anything,' you say—but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'—but I will not be mastered by anything.
— 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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