National Adult Literacy Database

Linda Beaupré`s illustrated poem describes the joys and sorrows of being a teenage, single mother. Lonely Child is the story of a young mother struggling with single parenthood. The author, Linda Beaupre, is enrolled as a learner in East End Literacy, a community-based reading centre in downtown Toronto. It was here that she was encouraged to write about her life experience. As a woman of 20 with a four-year-old son, she describes the fear, anguish, and loneliness of her responsibility.

This short story is presented in large handwritten print with plenty of white space. The text is well illustrated by Karen Suitor, who at the time of publishing was a free-lance illustrator as well as a tutor with East End Literacy.

Lonely Child could span all reading levels. As a true story with strong human interest, it will help any reader to better understand the situation of young, single parenthood.