October 27th, 2022

The National Institute of Corrections estimates that 2.7 million U.S. children have a parent who is incarcerated.

The following resources help to ensure the experiences of children with incarcerated parents are represented so children do not feel alone.

This also provides an opportunity to support and provide empathy and mattering for students.

The two books featured:

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena and Illustrated by Christian Robinson.
We follow Milo, the main , character, and his sister as the ride the subway. During the ride we see Milo people watching and using his imagination to draw his story about the lives of people he sees on the train, Christian Robinson beautifully uses pain and collage art presents Milo's creating story drawings.
Milo is headed to visit his mother. He is surprised to learn that one of the passengers on the train has a similar circumstance as Milo, learning a valuable lesson about perception versus reality.

The second book is a classic poem Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty turned into a picture book, illustrated by Bryan Collier. This heart-wrenching poem shares the story of a boy missing his father and learns he can still learn from his father and create his own path.

We included the powerful poem in Beaty's performance on Def Poetry.

This books would work well with school counselors or creating space for discussion about family dynamics, the injustices in the penal system, and creating empathic youth.

Check them out at your local library or buy and support your local Black bookstore.
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