The Day I Saw My Father Cry

Little Bill

by Bill Cosby, Varnette P. Honeywood (Illustrator)

When Little Bill experiences the loss of a friend, his father is there to comfort his son through his sadness.

Genres: Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

William Henry Cosby Jr. is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy star, with his longest-running live-action role being that of Cliff Huxtable in the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He also released several stand-up comedy albums and was a popular spokesperson in advertising for decades. Cosby was well known in the United States for his fatherly image and gained a reputation as "America's Dad". Since 2014, dozens of allegations of sexual assault have been made against him.
Cosby began his career as a stand-up comic at the Hungry I nightclub in San Francisco in 1961, and primarily performed observational comedy in a conversational style. He released numerous standup specials starting with Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right! (1963) and starred in the comedy film Bill Cosby: Himself (1983). Cosby still holds the record for winning the most Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, with seven wins. His acting career began with a starring role in the NBC secret-agent show I Spy (1965–1968), which broke new ground for African Americans when he made history by winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first black actor to do so.
Cosby made his film debut starring in Man and Boy (1971) followed by Hickey & Boggs (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975), A Piece of the Action (1977), Leonard Part 6 (1987), and Ghost Dad (1990). He produced and starred in a series of television sitcoms such as The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971), Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1985) and The Cosby Show (1984–1992) as well as its the spin-off A Different World (1987–1993), The Cosby Mysteries (1994–1995), and Cosby (1996–2000). He hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things (1998–2000). During his prolific career he advertised numerous products including the Jell-O ice pop treats Pudding Pop.
Over 60 women have accused Cosby of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Those allegations gained traction 2014 after a set which made mention of them by fellow comedian Hannibal Buress went viral. Numerous allegations followed with Cosby maintaining his innocence and repeatedly denying the allegations made against him. Despite receiving numerous awards and honorary degrees, several of them were revoked following the allegations. Reruns of The Cosby Show and other programs featuring Cosby were pulled from syndication. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of aggravated sexual assault against Andrea Constand. He was imprisoned until the conviction was vacated in June 2021 by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on the basis of Cosby's 5th Amendment and 14th Amendment due process rights having been violated. In 2022, Cosby was found civilly liable for having sexually assaulted Judy Huth when she was 16.

Reviews

[Lakisha Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is good book to read to kids in the pre-k to 1st grade this book is good to help younger with how to deal with and understand emotions with not just their selves but with those close to them. it also helps younger kids see there is nothing wrong with showing emotions and how to stop a second and think no matter what the emotion is it could be why are you angry, sad, feeling a certain way this book is good . I definitely would read this book to a pre-k to 1st grade class I would also purchase this book if I had a younger child it is a good book to add to a book collection for younger kids. not just the message but the color and the picture

[Ka Youa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a little boy called Little Bill and his family and their good friend, Alan Mills. Little Bill’s dad has a new neighbor across their house, and one day he comes to visit them. Alan is a happy, optimistic, and great individual. He has a special kind of way that help other people who are angry, low self-esteem, and troublemakers. He usually uses this phrase, “Merry Christmas”, and usually people seem to be happy after they see him. He likes to bring everyone together to meet a common goal or to just be happy. Little Bill and his family is very fortunate to learn a lot from Alan. They have built a strong relationship with Alan. However, it is sadden that Alan passes away from a heart attack suddenly. Little Bill has never seen his dad cry before until their friend Alan passes away. Since then on, the family has come to learn how to appreciate and be nice to one another, especially Little Bill and his big brother, Bobby.

This book supports the specific genre of contemporary because it focused on giving people a perspective into some corner of everyday experience and showing them what it would be like to walk in someone else’s shoes. This book really motivated me to continue to read because it raised the questions that we always have in life. We always wonder why good people usually leave this world so short. These individuals are the ones that we thought they should live longer to inspire and to motivate other people who have low-self esteems or problems. For example, Little Bill stated from the book, why Alan has to leave, especially when he has such a big heart. Anyone who reads this book can relate to the story because each and every one of us must have someone whom we love so much and who has passed away.

I think that I would definitely read this book to my students whenever we hear sad news about someone who has suddenly passed away. We all could learn something from this book, especially young children. Young children will learn to be confident that it is okay to cry when there are loved ones who pass away. They can learn how to appreciate and respect one another in the classroom. This is a great reading during a social skill lesson. Students will enjoy the reading because they will have the same questions like Little Bill. I think this reading is appropriate in any grade levels from K-3.

[Jenna]

A family friend dies in this story and it’s all about how the deal and grieve the friends death. This would be a great book for a young child to hear if they lost a friends or loved one and didn’t understand why it had to happen to them. It would help to comfort them know everyone experiences loss at some point in their lives.

[Aseel · Rating 5 out of 5]

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