DADDY, WILL YOU MISS ME?

by Wendy McCormick, Jennifer Eachus (Illustrator)

When daddy goes away on business trips, his young son misses him dearly, thus they come up with a creative way to stay in touch daily--even when they are miles apart.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story about a little boy who misses his Daddy as he goes away to Africa for 4 weeks.
I particularly enjoyed the beautiful imagery at the beginning of the book and the juxtaposition of cold, snowy scene with a desert, sandy image.

Would be interesting to see children's response to this book and potentially an opportunity for children to create their own memory box?

[Brodie Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet effective. In today’s age we often have parents going away for long periods of time for Work etc.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a day and age when some of our students are separated from a parent through business travel, serving in the armed forces, or other reasons, this story deals with the emotions involved. In "Daddy Will You Miss Me?" a little boy's father is about to leave for a four week trip to Africa. The boy doesn't want his father to go and when his father comes to say goodbye, it is obvious that the father isn't looking forward to the separation either: "'I have to go,' my daddy sighs. His face is white as the moon itself, hanging over my bed. His voice sounds crooked, too, when he clears his throat. 'I'll miss you so much,' he says. 'More than you know,' he whispers." The illustrations that accompany the text enhance add to the haunting quality of the story. Before he leaves the father gives his son a connection to hold on to while he is away. He tells his son he will whisper his name to the wind every day and send kisses every night. In turn the boy tells his dad that he will mark each day off the calendar in red and save one thing for him each day he is gone. While his father is away he puts things in his special box and imagines him in Africa. At the same time he is listening "really hard" to see if he can hear his dad whisper his name to the wind and waitng "really quietly" to see if he can feel his kisses blown from Africa. The father-son relationship in this story is beautiful, and as the book jacket says, "...the love between a father and child spans any distance."

[Yablimshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a little boy whose dad goes on a business trip to Africa for four weeks. the son's only concern is will his daddy miss him. The dad and son come up with different rituals to do while they are a part this help the little boy cope with the absence of his dad until he returned. This book will be useful in kindergarten or younger classroom because students are often forced to be away from their parents in different situations. This books falls in my category of family. This is a quality children's books because it will be interesting to children as it accurately depicts the lifestyle of a father and child and it allows children to think about multiple perspective of others feelings.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book about the relationship between a son and Father who are separated for a month due to a work trip. The pictures are so evocative and make it a moving book. Good for discussion about the bond between parents and carers and children. The comparisons to Africa in this story are quite stereotypical, but show how a young child may visualize it. So it could be useful as part of a topic on Africa, to then provide a contrast to this view, with different resources.

[Salsabrarian]

A little boy’s father is leaving for a month-long trip to Africa. The boy feels badly but his father promises to everyday whisper the boy’s name and send out kisses. The boy promises to save up things that he can show-and-tell when his father returns. And so he does, always thinking of his dad until he returns home.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple but lovely story of a young boy whose father has to go away for a month and the steps he takes to try and cope. Illustrations making links and comparisons between (somewhere in) Africa, where the father is, and the UK. A heart-warming story in itself and also a springboard to thinking about how we cope when the people we love go away.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy's father is leaving for a trip to Africa. McCormick's gentle word choice and Eachus' soft pencil illustrations create a reassuring book to help a child cope with a parent's brief absence.