Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for me
Author: Daniel Beaty,
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
This was such a sad book, It is about a young boy who plays a game with his father and one day the father is no longer there. The young boy writes a letter to his father asking him to come back home and how much he misses him. The father writes the young boy back, which I thought was odd because I thought the father had passed away. The father was incarcerated and the young boy did not know. The father return when the young boys is an adult. The book won an award for the illustrations, the artist used texture and warm colors. The pictures looks like magazine cut out that are arranged in a collage kind of way. While I was reading this book, some of the words rhymed the story could be have been a poem.When reading this book to students , Bloom's question should be incorporated during the discussion. What happened after the boy reconnects with his father?
How would you feel if you were the young boy?
This book was hard to relate to myself, I have been very blessed, that I have not experience anyone in my family being incarcerated. I am sympatric but I can not relate to her pain. The author was able to capture that pain through pictures which was done very well.
The illustration in "knock knock my father's dream for me "is similar but the texture is different the book Rosa. By Nikki Giovanni illustrated by Bryan Collier. There is use of warmer color and texture, in Rosa the colors are dull and somewhat dark.
Knock Knock My Dad's Dream for me was such a powerful book. The young boy would play a game with his father every morning. One day the game stopped and he didn't know why. At first I thought the father died but later on in the book you find out that the father was in jail. The young boy questioned how would he become a man without a father figure in his life. One day he received a letter from his telling him all the things he needed to do to become a man. My favorite part of the book was the illustrations. They really added some type of feeling to the book while I read. The warm colors used gave it a sense of sadness and hope at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWould I put this book in my classroom? Yes I would definitely put this book in my classroom. Some child could relate to this book and it might help them get through their situation. The only thing that I would say might cause a slight problem would be the race of the characters in the book. What if I had an Hispanic child in my class going through the same thing. They might not feel like they can relate because the character doesn't look like them.
In regards to Lindsey's comment on being able to relate to the book I definitely agree with you. Sometimes it's hard to connect with a book if you haven't been through that thing. The pictures did make it seem so real to the point that you felt like that little boy in the book.
During reading this book, I did think the father had died but come to find out the dad was in jail. This shocked me inside because this book captured a deep story about a lot of young black men and how they may feel in a situation like this and don't know what to expect to see their father until they have grown up. Family that I know have been through this situation and for the author to make it interesting and entertaining for this age group, I thought that was amazing.
DeleteMorgan, I definitely agree with putting this book in my library because it will help the students that are going through a situation similar to this.
The illustrations in the book, I agree are warm colors but also a little dark to show the pain that the son is going through and the hope that the father is feeling. I would not read this as a read aloud but I would refer this book to a student. It doesn't have to just be black student, it can be anyone because depending on the socioeconomic status this can be a situation for someone in that society. This is why it is important to cherish those that are close to you no matter who they are to you because if something tremendous happens to them, it will effect your life.
Here is a Youtube video of an African American poet acting out a part of the Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream of Me- by Daniel Beaty with great energy. He was letting the audience understand how heart broken and angry he was at his father but still expressing his love for his father.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eGRj8LdMyg
Sorry my youtube link isn't highlighted for a direct link but you can copy and paste and it will go straight to the video.
DeleteThank you
From reading the comments of this story, this would be a good book that I would introduce in my classroom to my student. It doesn't matter what the people look like. All that matters is that it can prepare students for up and coming events, or it can talk to students, regardless of race or creed, about what is going on in their lives. The comments written were excellent and well thought out.
ReplyDeleteThe story Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty and illustrated by Bryan Collier is about a young boy whose father doesn’t show up one day. He was use to his father entering into his room every morning and first knocking on the door. The young boy would pretend to be asleep, but after his father came in, he would leap up into his arms and his father would say, “I love you”. After a period of time, this didn’t happen anymore and the boy became curious of what was going on. He missed his father very much so he wrote a letter thinking he would pick it up and read it while he wasn’t home. It never happened. So one day the boy received a letter telling him how to shave, asking his wife to cook those eggs that he likes, and to do his homework before watching T.V. At the end of the book, the young boy has grown up and his ends up in his father’s arms. The author of the story explains that he was this young boy who had a father who was incarcerated. This made a void in his life, but it didn’t stop him from being a success story. This is a good book to teach people you are an important person in life. The choices that we make can affect other people’s lives, so it is important to do the right thing.
Delete-Khalari Perdue