Gorgeous. Definitely not limited to the experience of black boys whose fathers are incarcerated; in fact it's only from the notes that we know that he's in prison (rather than banished, dying in an institution, whatever). Do not miss the symbolism of flight & freedom with the paper airplanes, and of 'the elephant in the room' of those (too subtle for some) silhouettes. Highly recommended to any child or teen who is growing up without one of their role models... and to everyone else who is open to empathizing with someone in that situation. It does seem odd to me that this wonderful father is in prison and for so long... but then, that's true to the extremely racist 'justice' system we have here in the US.

This book was very sad to read and was quite a window into the world of a child and what they see when a parent never comes home. It is about a close father and son relationship that one day comes to an end when the father no longer comes home. The son is confused and scared as he loves his father so much and still has so much to learn from him. It ends with the son receiving a letter from the father telling him he is going to have to knock down doors for himself and stay strong as he will not be coming home. It is a pretty easy read so I set it for primary reading but I think it would require some adult explanation as it is a pretty intense/complex topic that some students may not understand.