Module 5: Coretta Scott King Award Winner
Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Beaty, D. & Collier, B. (2013). Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Plot Summary:
Every morning, the boy and his father play the "Knock Knock" game. When his father knocks on his door, the boy pretends to be asleep. When the father comes into his room, the boy jumps into his arms and says, "Good morning, Papa!" The father replies, "I love you."
This game continues until one day, his father doesn't knock. His father is no longer there. He doesn't help the boy get ready for school. He isn't there to cook the boy scrambled eggs and he doesn't help the boy with homework after school. The boy misses his father, so he decides to write him a letter. "Papa, come home, 'cause I miss you, miss you waking me in the mornings and telling me you love me." The boy wants to be taught all the things that a father is supposed to teach their sons: how to dribble a ball, how to shave, how to drive, and how to fix the car. The letter sits on the boy's desk while he waits for the knocks.
Two months later, he receives a letter from his father. Inside are words of wisdom and love from a father who desperately wishes to be with his son. These words guide the boy as he grows up. He learns to be a man and knock down barriers of his own. The father wants his son to be the best that he can be and the boy does just that. While the father is absent from the boy's life, his love remains with his son throughout the years until they can be reunited again.
Impressions:
I cannot and will not stop suggesting this book. The story is so beautiful and the images go along with the text brilliantly. Although this story is about a boy whose father is incarcerated, it is so relatable for any child who is missing a parent, for whatever reason. You can feel the hurt that the boy feels from his father's untimely departure and you know the father aches to be near his son. It exudes unconditional love that parents give to their children.
Reviews:
Smith, R.(2013, November 13) Review of Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me. Retreived from http://www.hbook.com/2013/11/choosing-books/review-of-the-week/review-knock-knock-dads-dream/
"The text, powerful and spare, is well supported by Collier's watercolor and collage art, which is filled with repeating motifs: elephants for memory, a paper airplane careening, the father's hat, rainbows and balloons, children's eager faces, even the Duke Ellington Memorial to signify the little boy's dream. Though the boy is bereft of a father, he is cared for and loved. His room is filled with toys and books. His mother and, later on, his wife are there to support him and help him move forward. There is a lot going on here. but there is a lot going on in the mind of any child who has been denied a parent, for whatever reason. In this book they will find comfort and inspiration."
Bird, E. (2013, October 9) Review of the Day: Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty. Retrieved from
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2013/10/09/review-of-the-day-knock-knock-by-daniel-beaty/
"Here’s what might be my favorite line in the book: “Papa, come home, ‘cause I want to be just like you, but I’m forgetting who you are.” Kids everywhere grow up without fathers and a single book isn’t going to necessarily change their lives. But maybe, just maybe, it really will touch somebody in the right way. When Bryan Collier writes in his Note that “This book is not just about loss, but about hope, making healthy choices, and not letting our past define our future,” he’s talking to kids everywhere that are dealing with a deck that’s stacked against them. They don’t get enough books, those kids, about lives like their own. Fortunately, once in a great while, a book comes along that fulfills that gaping need. This year, it’s this book. Next year? Who knows? But as long as there are children struggling along without their parents, Knock Knock is going to have a job to do."
"The text, powerful and spare, is well supported by Collier's watercolor and collage art, which is filled with repeating motifs: elephants for memory, a paper airplane careening, the father's hat, rainbows and balloons, children's eager faces, even the Duke Ellington Memorial to signify the little boy's dream. Though the boy is bereft of a father, he is cared for and loved. His room is filled with toys and books. His mother and, later on, his wife are there to support him and help him move forward. There is a lot going on here. but there is a lot going on in the mind of any child who has been denied a parent, for whatever reason. In this book they will find comfort and inspiration."
Bird, E. (2013, October 9) Review of the Day: Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty. Retrieved from
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2013/10/09/review-of-the-day-knock-knock-by-daniel-beaty/
"Here’s what might be my favorite line in the book: “Papa, come home, ‘cause I want to be just like you, but I’m forgetting who you are.” Kids everywhere grow up without fathers and a single book isn’t going to necessarily change their lives. But maybe, just maybe, it really will touch somebody in the right way. When Bryan Collier writes in his Note that “This book is not just about loss, but about hope, making healthy choices, and not letting our past define our future,” he’s talking to kids everywhere that are dealing with a deck that’s stacked against them. They don’t get enough books, those kids, about lives like their own. Fortunately, once in a great while, a book comes along that fulfills that gaping need. This year, it’s this book. Next year? Who knows? But as long as there are children struggling along without their parents, Knock Knock is going to have a job to do."
Library Use Suggestions:
My greatest suggestion is to keep this book in your back pocket for a suggestion. I remember coming across this book when a grandmother came into my library searching for it. She was wanting a way to explain to her granddaughter about her father going away to prison. This book works perfectly to explain to the child that despite the parent being absent from their lives that it doesn't mean that they are unloved. Take note of this book because I am sure you will be suggesting it to a patron in no time.
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