Natalie Savage Carlson's The Family Under The Bridge

The Family Under The Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson is a book which begins with Armand, a Paris hobo who lives under a bridge. He wanders the streets and chats with his gypsy friend Mireli. She tells him that he is about to have an adventure. Mireli tells him where gypsies have set up their camp and invites him to stay, but he declines. The prospect of an adventure appeals to him and he goes on about his day looking forward to whatever it might bring.He wants the city until it’s time for dinner. He spends two hours outside of a restaurant enjoying the smells wafting from inside. Armand returns to the bridge for the night and finds three children and a dog using his space under the bridge as their shelter. He doesn’t care for children and tells them that they can’t stay. Suzy, the eldest child, tries to compromise. She draws a rectangle on the concrete, giving Armand his own room. Evelyne and Paul, the other children, and Jojo, the dog, want Armand to stay.

She doesn’t want a hobo around her children. The children tell her that he’s harmless. Meanwhile, Armand steels his heart against their kindness. He doesn’t want to get close to anyone, but he does decide to stay in his designated rectangle.The next morning, Madame Calcet goes to work at the laundromat and Armand prepares for his day. He reluctantly takes the children with him after they beg. They all set out for their adventure. He takes them to the Louvre Shop to see Father Christmas and the children ask Father Christmas for a new house because they lost theirs after their father died. Armand gets the children to sing carols and people begin to give them money. With the money, Armand buys them all pancakes and chestnuts. He even gets enough pancakes for Jojo to have