Daddy, Daddy, Be There - Hardcover

Dr. Candy Dawson Boyd is a Professor in the School of Education at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California. Dr. Boyd holds a B.A. in Education from Northeastern Illinois University, a M.A. in Reading Education, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of California, Berkeley. While at Saint Mary's, Dr. Boyd directed both the Elementary Education Basic Credential Program and the Special Education Credential and Masters Programs. She founded, and currently directs, the Masters and Specialist Credential and Certificate Programs in Reading/Language Arts.

Dr. Boyd has lectured nationwide as both an award-winning children's author and a K-12 reading educator, emphasizing literature and culturally diverse learning. She has been a national keynote speaker for the California Reading Association, the International Reading Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. Her award-winning books for young people include Circle of Gold, Charlie Pippin, and Chevrolet Saturdays.

Dr. Boyd specializes in working with low performing urban schools. As founder of Common Literacy Culture, she is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading and writing for urban children, and has successfully worked with schools in crisis across the nation.

Grade 3 Up?Lyrical prose pleads, in the voices of children, for fathers to show up for the little and big events in their lives, to share stories, to be constant and loving, to hold the family together in tough times, and to see life through their eyes. The youngsters' concerns age as the pages turn?the first narrator is beginning school; the last is a parent himself. Cooper's textured pastel illustrations capture mixtures of many races, reflecting the universal needs of children to know and be loved by their fathers. His use of variously tinted brown tones give the closeup faces the look of old photographs. The text crackles with contemporary concerns: a plea for children raised by private schools and day-care centers to have feelings acknowledged; a cry to despondent and jobless fathers to keep struggling; and a reminder that even young people with green hair and pierced noses need love and guidance. The book is most likely to move older students and adults to discuss the important roles that fathers play in children's lives. Put it in the parenting section or in the hands of family-life educators to read with their classes. This compelling treatment of an emotional topic will no doubt elicit strong emotions in discussion or writing with upper-elementary age students, as well.?Susan Hepler, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA
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