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Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner) Hardcover – Picture Book, December 17, 2013

by Daniel Beaty (Author), Bryan Collier (Artist)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 183 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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Winner of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Medal and the Boston Horn Book Award
 
A simple, powerful book for children, about an absent father and the love he leaves behind


Every morning, I play a game with my father.
He goes knock knock on my door

and I pretend to be asleep

till he gets right next to the bed.

And my papa, he tells me, "I love you."

 

But what happens when, one day, that "knock knock" doesn't come? This powerful and inspiring book shows the love that an absent parent can leave behind, and the strength that children find in themselves as they grow up and follow their dreams.
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  1. Reading age
    5 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    AD500L
  6. Dimensions
    9.05 x 0.6 x 11.4 inches
  7. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  8. Publication date
    December 17, 2013
  9. ISBN-10
    0316209171
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0316209175
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Beaty tells a poignant, heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and hope. A boy narrates how every morning he and his father play the Knock Knock game. He feigns sleep while his father raps on the door until the boy jumps into his dad's arms for a hug and an "I love you." One day, there is no knock. Left with his mother, the child deeply misses his papa and writes to him for advice, receiving a moving letter in return. Collier's watercolor and collage illustrations enhance the nuanced sentiment of the text. Following the protagonist's journey from a grief-stricken child to an accomplished strong adult, the lifelike images intermingle urban and domestic backgrounds with the symbolic innerscape of the narrator. As the boy writes the letter and tosses paper airplanes out the window, he glides out on a life-size paper plane expressing his plea, "Papa, come home, 'cause there are things I don't know, and when I get older I thought you could teach me." Author's and illustrator's notes at the end of the book elaborate on the personal meaning of this eloquent story that speaks especially to children who are growing up in single-parent homes.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Every morning a boy and his father play a game: “KNOCK KNOCK,” says papa, and the boy pretends to be asleep, before jumping into his father’s arms. Then one morning papa doesn’t come anymore. Collier’s gorgeous watercolor and collages begin with rich hues and joyful light on the beginning pages and turn somber and dark as the boy realizes his father is gone for good. Buildings, fabric patterns and wood grains, photographs, and torn paper are delightfully complex, framing the emotional painterly portrayals of a sad and disappointed boy. Children can follow the tromping paisley elephants and paper airplanes as well as papa’s signature hat as the boy grows up and finds happiness. In a rare topic for younger children, Beaty explores the theme of permanent separation from a parent (it could be prison, death, or abandonment). The desire for guidance encountering life’s experiences is told from a small child’s point of view with candor, as well as hope, as he ends quoting papa’s advice to “KNOCK KNOCK down the doors that I could not.” Preschool-Grade 2. --Lolly Gepson

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; First Edition (December 17, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316209171
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316209175
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 5 - 11 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD500L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.05 x 0.6 x 11.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 183 ratings

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Daniel Beaty

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
183 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Minerva
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and Timely Tale
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
I love this story and truly appreciate the illustrations. I've shared this story with many kindergarten and 1st grade students who have had only positive responses. Of course, I had to learn to read it without crying. This is a story about a boy who loves and then becomes absent from his father. One little boy told me this was the best story he'd heard and asked if he could read the book. Moreover, each time I've shared this story children, especially the boys, become quiet and listen. I tell them that this is a true story and we have engaging conversations afterward.
5 people found this helpful
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Rechelle
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019
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I have gotten 10X my monies worth with this book. I am a therapist and it speaks to African American kids as well as other races! It instills hope and allows children and adults to express their feelings. I think the adults enjoy it more than the children. The illustrations are amazing!
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Every young child who happens to be Black needs to read this. As many times it takes to know that WE ARE OUT THERE!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
Every young child who happens to be Black needs to read this. The current climate in the USA of police brutality, ineffective schools and the economic perils of urban decay, jobless infrastructures or businesses? Each day I step foot out of my door? Maybe our last time seeing each other forever. Due to no fault of my own. A broken taillight. Fitting the description. Having a wide nose? Or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Every Black son with or without a father in his life needs to hear and know that there are Black Fathers who love them endlessly and want them to become functional men in society with something positive to offer themselves within THIS WORLD!
9 people found this helpful
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R. Carey
4.0 out of 5 stars Book Will Provide Opportunity for Discussion With Your Child
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
The book's storyline leaves a gap that a parent will have (and should) to explain to a young questioning mind. It's an excellent opportunity to discuss the realties of life. Hopefully, parents are mature enough to do so in a positive light that will stimulate goodness.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by an Amazing Man
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
I just saw Beatty's play on Paul Roberson, The Tallest Tree in the Forest. The man is a genius and this book is a rare find. While it could be enormously helpful to a child whose cherished father is not longer around, is is a beautifully written, sensitive book for all children. The pictures are handsomely done and the book is sturdy.
4 people found this helpful
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Candace Makowski
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for one of my students who recently lost his dad. It was something I sent home with him and told his mom to read it with him. He is only in second grade and I am not sure he will fully understand the depths of what the book is saying, but in time he will. I loved the book and only hope it will bring peace to his heart.
3 people found this helpful
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Isabella
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
Wonderful book. Sent to my grandson who lost his grandfather that he loved so dearly. Easy to use the content for discussion (he is 8 years old) re. application to his own father and how I FEEL/REMEMBER my father. Incidentally, is applicable even if the father/grandfather has not rot is not in jail!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Granite in a stream
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for children, and especially those with an absent parent
Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
What a wonderful but heart-breaking book! This beautifully illustrated children's book tells the story of a boy who suddenly finds his father absent in his life. He longs for his return but the father never comes back. He finds a letter from his father one day, telling him to live his life as best as he can and to strive to be even better than his father. The book doesn't tell us where the letter came from, but it's very possible the boy's mother or someone else in his life actually wrote it.
This would be a wonderful book for any child who has an absent parent. What is great about it is that it doesn't explain where the father went, leaving the book applicable to children with absent parents for any number of reasons: death, divorce, incarceration.
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Soumendra
4.0 out of 5 stars Book is very good I wish it was more descriptive because it doesn't ...
Reviewed in India on October 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
Book is very good I wish it was more descriptive because it doesn't explore deep enough although the theme is brilliant.
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☆レイジング・ブル
5.0 out of 5 stars 力強く、心揺さぶられる珠玉の名作！
Reviewed in Japan on February 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
たまたまCNNで紹介されていた表紙の絵に惹かれて購入しました。父親のことが大好きな少年。毎晩ベッドに入ったあと、父親がKnock Knockとドアを叩き入ってくるが、少年は寝たふりをして父親が「I Love You」と言ってキスをするのを待つ。でも、ある晩からそのKnock Knockが聞こえなくなる・・・。

少年の父親に対する愛、突然父親を失った悲しみと動揺、そして父親からの手紙・・・。

表紙をはじめ、１枚１枚のイラストが本当に素晴らしく、飾っておきたいほど。そして、物語に心打たれ、ラスト２ページはまさに心を鷲づかみされるような思いをさせられます。

これを子供に読ませるとしたら何歳ぐらいが対象なのか悩ましいですが、個人的にはむしろ大人、とくに息子を持つ父親に読んで欲しい珠玉の名作と言っていいでしょう。

ちなみに、自分のために絵本を買ったのは学生時代以来で、絵本ファンではありません。
でも、この作品と出会えたことにとても感謝しています。
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