Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2013), Edition: First Edition, 40 pages
Description
"A boy wakes up one morning to find his father gone. At first, he feels lost. But his father has left him a letter filled with advice to guide him through the times he cannot be there"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member jobend2
4. I enjoyed this book, however it was extremely sad. One thing that really made the book very interesting was the illustrations. They were like little pieces of paper put together to form one big picture, which I thought was really cool. Even the pictures of the little boy and his father were very
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life like, so it was made the story more interesting to follow. Although it was a sad plot, I think the plot was done very nicely. From the beginning of the story explaining what the knock knock game was, then the climax of the story realizing that the father would not be back to play the game for a while and in the end, the boy accepting the fact that he was not going to see his father. It was definitely a sadder story, but I thought how the author told the story made it more relatable for some kids. I liked how there was suspense each morning waiting to see if his father would knock on his door, but then we come to realize he never did again. I think the main message of this story is that sometimes for different reasons, parents have to leave their kids or get taken away from their kids and there is no easy was to tell your kids this. I think the moral of the story was that even if your parent is not physically with you anymore, remembering the lessons and words they share with you will always make it feel like they are spiritually with you. Show Less
LibraryThing member lbblackwell
A son and a father share a game of Knock Knock, but one day the knocking ceases, and the boy is left with a lot of questions including will his father return home to play their game again?
This story of loss and hope is a great book for children experiencing the absence of family member. The
This story of loss and hope is a great book for children experiencing the absence of family member. The
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illustrations beautifully capture the emotions of the text. Show Less
LibraryThing member rwoody
I really enjoyed"Knock Knock" is an inspirational book about a young boy who remembers playing with his Dad " Knock Knock" Then one day Knock Knock did not come and the boy wonders if he'll see his dad again. The father writes him and tells him he;ll no longer be in his life but encourages the boy
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to be strong and responsible man the theme of the story is hope, absent parent. Show Less
LibraryThing member areyno5
Knock Knock
“Knock Knock” by Daniel Beaty was emotional. I always feel drawn to boys and this story pulls at the heartstrings. The story is told in the first person by a little boy. “Every morning, I play a game with my father.” and “I wait, but Papa’s not there to play out game.” are
“Knock Knock” by Daniel Beaty was emotional. I always feel drawn to boys and this story pulls at the heartstrings. The story is told in the first person by a little boy. “Every morning, I play a game with my father.” and “I wait, but Papa’s not there to play out game.” are
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two sentences that provide evidence of first person narration. The character is very believable and well developed. The reader easily understands the sadness and desperation the character feels of wanting to see his Father. “I listen at the door, but I never hear his knock…..” and “Two whole months pass, and my letter to papa still sits on my desk, but I leave it and wait for my papa’s knock”. The illustrations are dark colors or browns, blacks and oranges. The illustrations are created by small pieces of paper being glued together to form a big picture. The author leaves a note in the back of the book of his own personal experience of losing his father due to incarceration. He further explains why he felt it was important to write this book. I found this helpful because the only part of the book lacking was there is no explanation as to where his Father went. It leaves the reader wondering and hoping for his Father’s return. The big idea of this story is to tell the characters longing for his absent Father. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andrewturner
I feel the message of this story is to simply show the viewpoint of a child when going through such a dramatic event, such as losing a parent. They may not understand unless it is explained to them. It is heartbreaking how the boy was left wondering why his father suddenly was no longer there to
I really enjoyed reading this book. The language used in this book really captured the reader into feeling the strong, raw emotions that the main character was feeling after losing his father. The language at the beginning used in the action of *KNOCK KNOCK* showed the enthusiasm that the father showed, and the joy that the son received in playing this game every morning with his dad. The author used very descriptive text when the boy wrote his letter to his absent father. The reader could feel the heartbreak for the boy as he asked "Papa when are you coming home?" in his letter. In the letter, the boy mentions that he needs someone to teach him to shave and to dribble a basketball. The reader can still feel the hope inside the boy that one day his father is coming home, until the boy realizes that he is not.
I really loved the illustrations in this book. The pictures went from bright, vibrant colors as the father and son played the KNOCK KNOCK game. The colors became darker and more dull as the boy began to realize that his father was not coming home. I feel with these illustrations, it gave the reader an even better feeling of closeness to the main character. The readers emotions changed with the boys emotions.
This book was very well written and I would recommend it to all students, not just those who are living inside a single parent home. This book has a very powerful message.
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knock on his door and to tell him that he loved him. However, I also feel the author conveys the message to the reader that even through the toughest times, you must be able to go on. I feel this is told through the last quote of papa "Knock Knock down the doors I could not".I really enjoyed reading this book. The language used in this book really captured the reader into feeling the strong, raw emotions that the main character was feeling after losing his father. The language at the beginning used in the action of *KNOCK KNOCK* showed the enthusiasm that the father showed, and the joy that the son received in playing this game every morning with his dad. The author used very descriptive text when the boy wrote his letter to his absent father. The reader could feel the heartbreak for the boy as he asked "Papa when are you coming home?" in his letter. In the letter, the boy mentions that he needs someone to teach him to shave and to dribble a basketball. The reader can still feel the hope inside the boy that one day his father is coming home, until the boy realizes that he is not.
I really loved the illustrations in this book. The pictures went from bright, vibrant colors as the father and son played the KNOCK KNOCK game. The colors became darker and more dull as the boy began to realize that his father was not coming home. I feel with these illustrations, it gave the reader an even better feeling of closeness to the main character. The readers emotions changed with the boys emotions.
This book was very well written and I would recommend it to all students, not just those who are living inside a single parent home. This book has a very powerful message.
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LibraryThing member danielleshorr
grade k-5
Prose
This picture book is an excellent book about a child learning to deal the absence of a parent due to incarceration. I like how they never say that his father has gone to jail but it is inferred. The writing style has a definite rhythm to it which is why I classified it as prose. This
Prose
This picture book is an excellent book about a child learning to deal the absence of a parent due to incarceration. I like how they never say that his father has gone to jail but it is inferred. The writing style has a definite rhythm to it which is why I classified it as prose. This
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book touches on subjects like what lthe little boy's life will be like without his father, and what the father's wishes are for his son. The book was almost like a letter to his son and an instruction manual on what to do. There is a part where the father tells his son not to dribbles the ball on the basketball court but to dribble the pen on paper. This is his father telling him to take his education seriously in hopes that he will be successful. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexandraee
This is a wonderful book about a young boy whose father is no longer around. This boy must learn to deal with his life without his father but overcomes adversity. "Knock Knock" is a very inspiring book especially for children of single parents. This book could be used for grades 4th and up.
LibraryThing member melodyreads
absent parent, longing of a child
LibraryThing member MelindaBoland
A boy who is awoken by a knock knock from his father every morning suddenly feels lost in the world when his father is gone. He waits for the knocks and when he realizes they aren't coming he thinks of all the things his father needs to teach him. His father sends a letter trying to teach him a few
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things he thinks his son will need to know. Show Less
LibraryThing member qrennaker
The strengths of this book lie in the message and the artwork. The art was a mix of water color and collage and it played into the confusion that the child in the story felt without his father. I have actually heard Beatty perform this poem live when he came to my high school several years ago so I
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know the power of the message and I got goose bumps when I was reading it today. The one weakness, if it really is a weakness, is that it seems like the poem is really intended for an adult audience. Still, the artwork and how the pages were broken up made it applicable to children, particularly those who are fatherless. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
Every morning, a young boy waits for his father to go KNOCK KNOCK on his bedroom door. The boy pretends to be asleep and then jumps into his father’s arms when the dad comes up to his bed. But one day Papa stops coming, “and morning after morning he never comes.”
The boy misses his father
One day the boy comes home from school to find a tie from his father and a letter. His dad says he is sorry he will not be coming home, but leaves him some lessons:
"No longer will I be there to knock on your door,
so you must learn to knock for yourself.
KNOCK KNOCK down the doors that I could not.
KNOCK KNOCK to open new doors to your dreams.
KNOCK KNOCK for me,
for as long as you become your best,
the best of me still lives in you.”
By the end of the book, the boy is grown, and we can see that his father is still with him, on the inside.
Sobbing yet?
Illustrator Bryan Collier is outstanding as usual in depicting emotions in his faces and in his ability to confer a sense of place. I loved his use of the dad’s tie throughout the book to show graphically the way in which the dad stayed with the boy throughout his life. Using watercolor and collage, Collier brings Harlem to life, and conveys love in every one of his panels. Particularly effective is the picture that shows the smaller versions of the boy inside the grown-up man, putting on his tie.
Discussion: At the end of the book, an Author’s Note explains that Beaty’s father was originally his principal caregiver, and they played the Knock Knock game every morning. But his dad was incarcerated when the author was three. As he grew up and became an educator, he decided he wanted to address the pain created by the separation from the child’s point of view. He also performs this story as a monologue.
Evaluation: This book loses some of its punch because of the ambiguity of what happens to the father. It seems as if the author wanted to account for any type of loss, whether through divorce, death, or incarceration, but in so doing, added a bit of confusion to the story. Nevertheless, it is memorable, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at once. Each time I read through it, I cried again. I think children, however, will find it reassuring and comforting. Nevertheless, for you adults who read along with the kids, stock up on kleenex.
The boy misses his father
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terribly, and writes him a letter telling him all the things he misses. He is especially worried that his father won’t be there to teach him what he needs to know to be a man. “Papa,” he says, “come home, ‘cause I want to be just like you, but I’m forgetting who you are.’”One day the boy comes home from school to find a tie from his father and a letter. His dad says he is sorry he will not be coming home, but leaves him some lessons:
"No longer will I be there to knock on your door,
so you must learn to knock for yourself.
KNOCK KNOCK down the doors that I could not.
KNOCK KNOCK to open new doors to your dreams.
KNOCK KNOCK for me,
for as long as you become your best,
the best of me still lives in you.”
By the end of the book, the boy is grown, and we can see that his father is still with him, on the inside.
Sobbing yet?
Illustrator Bryan Collier is outstanding as usual in depicting emotions in his faces and in his ability to confer a sense of place. I loved his use of the dad’s tie throughout the book to show graphically the way in which the dad stayed with the boy throughout his life. Using watercolor and collage, Collier brings Harlem to life, and conveys love in every one of his panels. Particularly effective is the picture that shows the smaller versions of the boy inside the grown-up man, putting on his tie.
Discussion: At the end of the book, an Author’s Note explains that Beaty’s father was originally his principal caregiver, and they played the Knock Knock game every morning. But his dad was incarcerated when the author was three. As he grew up and became an educator, he decided he wanted to address the pain created by the separation from the child’s point of view. He also performs this story as a monologue.
Evaluation: This book loses some of its punch because of the ambiguity of what happens to the father. It seems as if the author wanted to account for any type of loss, whether through divorce, death, or incarceration, but in so doing, added a bit of confusion to the story. Nevertheless, it is memorable, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at once. Each time I read through it, I cried again. I think children, however, will find it reassuring and comforting. Nevertheless, for you adults who read along with the kids, stock up on kleenex.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nicholew
Knock, Knock My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty is an emotional journey a young boy goes through as he realizes his father is no longer there. Beaty is able to capture the reality of how a child feels and is able to express the emotion behind those feeling within his book. The issue of
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children being without a father or even a mother brought up in the book and then relying on one parent for everything crossing many social classes and gender lines. Show Less
LibraryThing member tricha11
In my opinion, this was a good book for young children to read. I wouldn’t choose this book as a read aloud, but would guide students towards this for independent reading. The first reason I enjoyed this book was the plot. The plot makes readers face a tough situation and see how the character
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deals with things. Divorce or absentee parents are a very common thing today and this book shows the character coming of age without the presence of a father. Another reason I enjoyed this book were because of the illustrations. They were well done, quality illustrations, but more importantly, fit the tone of the story. The pictures weren’t vibrant and bursting with color, but were more serious. An example of this was showing the letter the boy wrote to his father sitting there on his desk untouched. The last reason I enjoyed this story was the main character. The story strictly focuses on the boy and the character is well developed. As you read along, you get a sense of how the child is feeling and what he is going through. Through both the illustrations and the words of the author, we as readers get to see the impact of not having a father. The main message I took away from this story was, that family is important but sometimes children our dealt unfair situations that they have to deal with. However, they must not let that define who they’re and rely on the people in your life that are there to support you. Show Less
LibraryThing member mingra2
I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked it because it put you in the mind of the child and the thought process he had after his father was gone. The way book opened up with the connection him and his dad had and then the sudden disappearance of his dad really drew me into the story from the beginning.
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Throughout the boy’s childhood he doesn’t understand why his father is gone. The conclusion hit home for me because it showed the boy growing up and following his dreams even though his father wasn’t there. This was a good message that it’s our chose what we make of ourselves. I also enjoyed the illustrations of this story because they were very detailed and connected with each page. The main idea of this book is hope. Show Less
LibraryThing member mspisa1
Although this book’s topic was hard to deal with, I liked this book a lot. The first reason I liked this book is because it was written in the first-person point of view, from the perspective of the son in the story. For moments in the book where the son is opening the letter from his father who
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had disappeared from his life, and depicted going through staple life events such as shaving for his first time are much easier to imagine yourself in since the son is telling the story from his perspective. Had the story been told from the mother in the story, it would be harder for the reader to connect with the events going on because the son was the character most affected by the father’s removal. I also liked this book for the amazing character development. At the beginning of the book, the son was a child, talking about how he loved his father and about actions his father did that made him happy, such as cooking him scrambled eggs and playing a “knock knock” game with him when he woke up in the morning. At the end of the book, long after his father had left his life for a reason never mentioned, the son then talked about how although he missed those actions, he strived to be the father he once had and thanked his father for those moment. This showed a tremendous amount of growth within the character and did so in very few pages and words. Overall, the big idea of this book was although losing a parent is tough, holding onto the memories you have of them is an act that can open your mind to a world of appreciation and growth. Show Less
LibraryThing member CassandraQuigley
In my opinion this was a great book. One reason being that illustrations portray the progression of the young boys life from childhood to adulthood, and this enhances the message of the story. Although his father was not around, he was still able to grow into a strong independent young man, and
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this is enhanced by the illustrations. I also thought that the author’s note, at the end of the book, was a great way to enhance the text. This is because the author was able to describe the way he felt when his father was incarcerated. This allows for the reader to get a better understanding of why the author wrote the story, and the feelings he felt while writing the story. Such as when he says, “this experience prompted me to tell the story of this loss from a child’s prospective and also to offer hope that every fatherless child can still create the most beautiful life possible.” This quote explains the author’s reasoning for writing this book, and allows the reader to connect with the author. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jordanlaine
The book is a tear jerking story about a little boy who's father disappears one day. The boy can't understand why he left, or where he went, but he misses him dearly. The book show how the boy deals with the loss of his father and if you read the letter from the author you discover the father was
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incarcerated. Show Less
LibraryThing member caseyjmorgan
this book is a really sad book. it is about a boy and his dad how there life was until one day dad just disapears. the boy leaves a letter for his dad for almost 2 months then his dad writes back saying he wont be comming home. this book is a good book for children whos parents are incarsrated.
LibraryThing member APatricia
A little boy remembers the Knock Knock game he would play with his father but one day his father doesn't knock. His father is no longer present in his life. The little boy writes his father a letter that sits on his desk unread. Time passes and he finds a letter from his father waiting on his desk.
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As the little boy grows up he finds strength in himself and follows his dreams. Show Less
LibraryThing member ksmole1
This book is a short story that discusses the life of a young boy who is used to his father always being there for him and being a reliable figure in his life. His father always knocks on his door which is the signigficane of the title "Knock Knock". This saying is said over and over again
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throughout the book after the knocking one day stops and the boy has not seen his father and does not know where he has gone. He writes a letter to him and wishes his father were with him to teach him valuable life lessons like shaving and driving. One day the boy receives a letter that the father will not be returning home but leaves some tips for him and believes that he will become a great person and do wonderful things. The picture shows the boy becoming older and successful, even with the absence of his father. At the end of the story the father and son re-unite. It is never told in the book, but the father was absent because he was in jail. I think that this book would be great to use for teaching how to make predictions/inferences for students in the third through fifth grade. Show Less
LibraryThing member airdnaxela
This book is really powerful, and addresses the difficult experience of growing up while a parent is incarcerated. I think that Beaty does an excellent job conveying the gradual transition from not fully understanding as a child to acceptance, forgiveness, and reflection as an adult. The main
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character recognizes all the things he would miss out on with his dad not being around to help him grow up. Therefore he makes it his goal to lead his life in a way that will make him happy. Show Less
LibraryThing member gregresch
An excellent book for encouraging kids struggling with losing a parent, reminding them that the god they do in the world is showing their parent through them.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
I can see this being used in a prison program with men who are fathers, or in a support group of children of incarcerated parents. It can inspire creative works and efforts to keep connected with family. Lots of teaching and creative possibilities.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
A poignant, heartfelt story nearly overwhelmed by Bryan Collier's stunning artwork.
LibraryThing member Sarah.Lew
This book is almost saddening to read because your heart aches for the little boy when his father never comes to knock on his door. Beaty truly touches each reader and makes a relatable story for many readers. I may not use this in my classroom unless I know a student may be in a similar situation
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and should understand that he/she is not alone. This book is appropriate for first through second grade. Show Less
Awards
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Honor — Picture Book — 2014)
Parents' Choice Book Award (2013)
Coretta Scott King Award (Winner — 2014)
Marion Vannett Ridgway Award (Honor — 2014)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Primary — 2017)
In the Margins Official List (Fiction — 2015)
CCBC Choices (2014)
The Best Children's Books of the Year (Five to Nine — 2014)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Picture Books — 2013)
Notable Children's Book (2014)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
40 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
0316209171 / 9780316209175
UPC
884423064708
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Lexile
L