The Family Under The Bridge

The Family Under the Bridge is a work of realistic historical fiction set in Paris in the early 1900s. It was originally published in 1958 and then reprinted in 1989. The author, Natalie Savage Carlson, is an American of French-Canadian descent who spent many years living in Paris. The book, which follows an unhoused man as he meets and befriends a young family, won a Newbery Honor Award in 1959 and a Horn Book Fanfare Best Book award. Carlson was recognized for her contributions to children’s literature in America when she was selected as the United States nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1966 for her “lasting contribution to children’s literature.”

The Family Under the Bridge covers themes of discrimination, family, and change as a catalyst for growth as Armand and the young family—the Calcets—grow closer together. Armand transforms from a proud, solitary man without a home into a self-proclaimed grandfather and caregiver, just in time to find the Calcet children the home they long for.

Content Warning: The book that informs this guide uses the term “gypsy” to refer to people of Roma heritage. The book also uses the terms “hobo” and “tramp” to refer to unhoused people. These terms are outdated and considered offensive, but they may appear in quoted material.

Plot Summary

The Family Under the Bridge follows an unhoused man, Armand, as he reluctantly befriends a young family who he finds living in his usual spot beneath a bridge in Paris during the Christmas season. The family consists of three children—Suzy, Paul, and Evelyne—and their mother, Madame Calcet. Armand is vocally opposed to children, obligations, and responsibilities, but he is quickly charmed by the young Calcets and begins to care for them in his own way. The Calcets have recently lost the patriarch of the family and were evicted from their home when their mother could not afford to pay the rent on her own. This has driven them to live beneath the bridge as it is the only free housing in the city. Madame Calcet could put the children into a charity home, but she wants to keep the family together.

Armand is a proudly solitary man who pushes his belongings around in a baby buggy. He breaks his habits to bring the Calcet children on a walk through the city while their mother works. The children and Armand visit the Louvre department store to see Father Christmas, who is played by a friend of Armand’s. The children ask Father Christmas for a new home.

Outside of the store, Armand encourages the children to put on a concert of Christmas songs. The concert is popular, and many people put coins in Armand’s hat when he passes it around. Armand uses the money to buy the children and their dog street food treats; later that night, Madame Calcet is angry and disgusted to learn that her children have been begging. She sends Armand away and he leaves, hurt and angry.

The next day, he convinces himself to check on the children with the excuse of berating them for their treatment of him. On the way, he learns that they’ve been discovered by two women who want to “help” by putting the children into a charity home. He hastily moves the children to a Roma camp where he’s been invited to spend the winter. Madame Calcet is disturbed by this as she is prejudiced against the Roma people, but she quickly learns that they are generous and caring. The Roma people invite the Calcets into their homes, providing food and shelter.

The Roma people leave the city only a couple of weeks later, leaving the Calcets once again without a home. Armand has grown very attached to the family, and he resolves to get a job to help support them. Together, the Calcet family helps to prepare Armand to interview for a job he’d heard about—they mend and clean his clothing while Armand bathes, and then Suzy trims his beard to make it look more respectable. Armand thinks he is applying for a job as a night watchman but soon discovers that it is actually for a caretaker at an apartment complex. The manager, Monsieur Brunot, says they are looking for a family man for the job. Armand can claim a family, so he gets the job, which comes with lodgings. He returns to tell the family about his job, filled with pride that he’s now a workingman of Paris.