The Hard-Times Jar

by Ethel Footman Smothers, John Holyfield (Illustrator)

A look at the life of migrant workers through a child's eyes

Emma Turner loves books and dreams of one day having the store-bought kind, but the Turners are migrant workers and money is tight. That means "no extras," so Emma must be content to make her own stories and books. Emma has a plan, though – she's going to save all the money she earns picking apples and put it in Mama's hard-times jar. Then there will surely be enough for extras. But when Mama tells Emma that this year she has to go to school instead of to work, it spoils everything. Now she will never own a store-bought book! But school turns out to have a wonderful surprise in store for Emma.

Based on Ethel Footman Smothers's childhood, the story is brought to life with lush acrylic paintings, giving us a touching portrait of a book-hungry child.

Genres: Picture Books, Poverty, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Cultural, African American, Class

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2003

Reviews

[Janine Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book the first time I read it. The lessons Emma learns are real in for so many children. The message of the book serves up to determination and honesty. A great read every time!

[Hannah Grosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good story, about a little girl of a family of migrant workers. She is black, and is sent to a school of mainly white students in Pennsylvania. She loved books a lot, and had always wanted "the store-bought kind"--in other words, ones she didn't have to write herself. The school she went to had a little library area full of store-bought books, and one day she snuck a couple home for the weekend. Her mama found out and made her go apologize to the teacher, which was really hard for her to do. The family did not have any extra money except a jar of loose change for emergencies and hard times. They never took anything out of it, until Mama took out $1.50 to give to her daughter as a reward for her honesty with her teacher. It's a fun but meaningful story, with sentiment and a great message.

[S10_Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: fiction
Format: picture book
Grade level: elementary - middle school

This is a book about an eight year old girl named Emma who loves to read but her family is very poor and can not afford books. Since she does not have any books, she creates stories and writes them down. Her parents then decide to let her attend school. Emma is in awe by all the books the school has in the library. She takes two of them home even though it is forbidden. Emma’s mother gives her money from the hard-times jar to buy a book after Emma confesses to her teacher that she borrowed books from the library.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really cute, touching book about the power of reading, books and education. When I saw how much text there was I wasn't sure if my 3 year would sit through it; sometimes he is turning the pages on shorter books...but he sat through the whole thing quietly and when we were done said, let's get another book like this. It was really sweet! I was very touched by the message and really enjoyed the illustrations. Teaches a very good lesson about what many of us take for granted (seeing that we have so many children's books I can't figure out where to put them in our little apartment!)

[Kalynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought it was a book focused on money and counting, which is why I grabbed it, for a possible science collection, but instead...true to it's title, it is about a family's struggle to make ends meet and a young eight-year-old girl who has a long for writing and reading. I found it deeply touching.

[Memory Toast · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when an impoverished girl, who writes her own stories on the backs of grocery bags and dreams of one day owning her own store-bought book, gets to a school with an enormous classroom library? How will her family's "hard-times jar" come into the story?

If you'd like to know, read this poginant tale about honesty, education, and a love of books.

[Eiley Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl, named Emma Turner, loves to read, but she can only dream of having her very own book from a real store someday. She and her family are immigrant workers, so extra money for a book isn't really an option. There is no extra money for spending like that, so Emma has to resort to writing her own books with the little resources she has. She wants a real book so badly, though, that she makes a plan to save up all of the money she makes from apple-picking with her family and add it to the hard-times jar her mom has made. Unfortunately, one day her mom tells her she can't pick apples anymore because she has to attend school, which means no earning money for a book. At first, she is troubled by this, but that will change when she discovers that her new school has a library. After an attempt to take some books back home from her class library, she has to apologize and tell her teacher what she did. Everything will be okay, though, because one day her mom tells her that they have enough extras to buy Emma her very own store-bought book.

I thought this was a very real book. I really enjoyed reading it, because it was a genuine story about a sweet young girl who just wants to own her very own book. Sometimes it's good to read books like that to remind me of how fortunate I am and to remind me of the virtue of reading books.

Based on the grades I plan to teach, I probably won't have this book in my classroom. It is a bit of a harder read (word and length-wise). If I ended up teaching in an older classroom, this is definitely a book I would want to incorporate. I think stories like these can be valuable for students to understand and possibly even personally connect to.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The main character, Emma, is a relatable character as she struggles to fit in and find her way at a new school. Emma has a love of books and radiates this love to readers. The ending of the story is heartwarming. I did not find the ending to be cliché or predictable- which made it even more impactful! As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I know children and adults of all ages would enjoy it, too.

This book is a classroom must have for all ages! Personally, I look forward to reading it with my Kindergarten students. I think it would be a great classroom read-aloud for Black History Month and social-emotional readings throughout the year. The characters are relatable and come from low social class, which is not common in children’s books. Emma comes from a migrant family, but I think anyone could relate to the financial struggles Emma and her family face. I think this book does a great job of portraying the struggles many students face while providing an inspiring lesson about working hard and doing what is right.

Great book I would recommend to anyone looking for something new in their library!

[Paige Nobles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hard-Times Jar is a book that all teachers should have on their bookshelf. This book will inspire students to look at what they value and see what others love as important. There is a lesson in asking permission before taking that will present itself to the reader. Students who can relate to migrant workers will make a connection with this book.
Growing up when money is tight, and extras are hard to come by, Emma desperately wants a new book. Emma's family is a migrant working family. Her family has a hard time jar that they put their extra money into, and they only use it in times of need. Emma always writes stories and has a great imagination, but she constantly wants to read more books. She wants to use some of the money in the hard-time jar to buy a new book. When Emma begins school (an all-white school at that), she is in awe of all the teacher's books and that she can touch them and read them. Emma is so consumed with the new books that she accidentally takes one home. How will her teacher and mother respond? What about the money in the hard time jar?

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story with marvellous illustrations, and is based on the author's childhood.

Emma, a migrant worker with her family, loved to make up stories and wanted so much to own a store-bought book. Her mother kept a hard-times jar into which extra coin was dropped and Emma hoped to be able to buy a book from that money.
When she was 8 Emma was sent to school, although the rest of her family kept working in the orchards. She'd never been to school before, and in the south black children were not allowed to mix with white children, but this was Pennsylvania. When she was shown the library, Emma made the mistake of taking some books home.

[Sami Westrick]

Emma loves books and reading, and dreams of one day having her own hard covered books.l But her family is migrant workers and live in a money tight home. This means not much room for extra purchases. So she must be content with creating her own stories and books. She learns a lot from creating her own books, maybe one day she one get to buy one or many of her own to have and read. Descriptive with many similes and metaphors throughout the book. I would rate this book a 5 because it shows kids how to work for what they want.

[Jeffrey Babbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read of Ethel Footman Smothers, and I am pleasantly surprised. From the first sentence, I was emotionally invested in Emma. With every page thereafter, I dug deeper and deeper. The language is as warm and fluid as the art (I really love John Holyfield's work here and elsewhere). The metaphors are fresh. The book welcomed me like a member of the family. It is perfect, and I want to read it again and again.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a realistic good read. It's a reminder of how times have changed and how we should be thankful fo what we have. This would be a good book in a classroom as well a good one to use if bullying or being mean occura because the lack of what someone doesn't have.

[Susan Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that can be used to teach diversity, honesty, integrity, and finding the courage to tell the truth. It’s can also be paired with books that promote the love of reading. A perfect read aloud!

[Tessa Zimmerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction
Grade: 3rd-5th

I thought this was a good story. It was based back when Black girls just started to go to school. This book is inspirational because Emma even thought she did not have much she still came up with her own entertainment.

[SaraKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel this little girl's pain! What a terrible thing to not have access to books. I thought it was a good window into the world of the migrant family and their work and love for each other. The pictures looked like oil paintings and had a lot of texture and detail.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I love books like this. It makes my heart go out to those who have a harder life in some ways. I love the good times this family has together. I love the standards and the rules the family has. I love the compassion shown in the book.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl growing up in a financially challenged family wants to own a book. She likes to write stories and wants to own one, but there is no money for extras. An honest and wonderful book.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was marvelous. The pictures, story line and characters, I loved it.

[Laura Weakland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for helping kids understand “hard times” and saving money. Also, a great lesson on honesty!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Migrant farmers are in town to pick apples. The oldest child, an 8 year old girl, loves stories. She writes them on notebooks she makes from grocery bags.

The family has a Hard-Times Jar where they collect coins in case there's a day when they really need the money. The money from the jar is NOT for "extras" -- it's their only savings if something happens.

The daughter goes to school and finds that there's a small classroom library, but the books must stay at the school.

Over one weekend, she takes 2 books home. Her mother finds them and insists that she confess to the teacher. The teacher accepts her apology and reminds her not to take books home again.

To reward her for her honesty, her mom gives her $1.50 from the hard-times jar to buy her own book.

For another story of a migrant family who has to count their pennies, read The Christmas Gift: El regalo de Navidad.

[Madi Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book teaches well on honesty and on what poverty can look like.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hard-Times Jar was hard to get a hold of. I had to make an inter-library loan request. It was worth the effort to read it, though not perhaps one I would purchase for my classroom since it isn't in paperback. I did like the different perspective of this book. I liked the view of school and of poverty from the perspective of a shy book-loving child. This book is a sweet love story to books and book lovers.

[Deana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a fantastic book that covered a lot of different themes that children could relate to in one form or another: honesty, integrity, hard work, saving, issues of race and socioeconomics. Unfortunately, it is too lengthy to use in my pre-school storytimes, but I would consider using this for K-2 programming.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is specifically a migrant family, any reader whose family has struggled financially could relate to a situation like this. Waiting and waiting for something because it is financially out of reach is something many people can understand. The love of reading is another connecting point. This is a good example for memoir units too.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be a good book for older grades (3-5). You could use it to explain to students how important reading is and how easily you can fall in love with it. Also, it has many themes in the book such a hard work and telling the truth if you have done something wrong.

[OnceUponALibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing I didn't like is that it was against the rules to borrow a book from the classroom library! This poor, migrant family had to spend their hard-earned hard-times jar money on a book? That's what libraries are FOR! Emma should have been able to borrow books for free!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely story about a black girl who goes to a school that is all white who loves book and finally gets a book of her own

[Kristin Sprague · Rating 4 out of 5]

saving up for a "rainy day"

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it