Lily enjoys a friendly walk in the rain with her mother, but she becomes frightened when she sees the Paper Man. His frazzled appearance stands in stark contrast to the well-ordered world of this young girl. On subsequent days, Lily avoids the Paper Man by requesting that she and her mother ride on the bus instead of walking. When winter arrives, Lily’s encounter with the Paper Man awakens compassion within her as she realizes his inadequate attire and hapless demeanor is no match for the frigid winter season. Then, Lily makes special plans to help keep the Paper Man warm. dgw

Walking with her mother on the way home from school one day, Lily runs straight into a gruff and untidy-looking man selling papers on the street. Lily is afraid of the man, but when the weather turns cold, she starts to see the Paper Man differently--she sees his bare toes through the holes in his boots and his thin shirt through the holes in his coat. As she lies in her cozy bed at night, she wonders how the Paper Man stays warm. Then Lily comes up with a wonderful idea - she'll make him a gift of warm clothes.