1. I would recommend this book for early to middle level elementary students.
2.This book goes through the story of a boy who's dad goes to prison and disappears. The father for the longest time was a stay at home father and helped take care of the boy. For a good chunk of him growing up his dad was incarcerated and he didn't understand why his dad wasn't there anymore. Eventually his dad gets out of jail and see's his child again.
3.I will definitly have this book in my future classroom to teach other perspectives. ( )

This is an emotionally resonant book about a boy who loses his father. The reader doesn't know how the boy loses his father. Maybe he died, maybe he went to prison (as the author's father did), or maybe he was forced to leave his family for some other reason. He says, "I'm sorry I will not be coming home," so we can assume it's not a deployment or temporary disruption. But he does write his son a letter encouraging him to be good and be himself, despite the absence of the father. A truly bittersweet story about the love of a parent who's not there. ( )

Reading Level: 2nd-3rd grade
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

A boy struggles with the sudden absence of his father. He refuses to be comforted until a note helps him to grow past the pain and move forward

This book was very sad to read and was quite a window into the world of a child and what they see when a parent never comes home. It is about a close father and son relationship that one day comes to an end when the father no longer comes home. The son is confused and scared as he loves his father so much and still has so much to learn from him. It ends with the son receiving a letter from the father telling him he is going to have to knock down doors for himself and stay strong as he will not be coming home. It is a pretty easy read so I set it for primary reading but I think it would require some adult explanation as it is a pretty intense/complex topic that some students may not understand. ( )