Books for Children Impacted by Incarceration

My Daddy is in Jail: Story, Discussion Guide, and Small Group Activities for Grades K-5

By: Janet M. Bender

“Provides resources--including stories, small group counseling activities, and a discussion guide--for helping children cope with the incarceration of a parent or loved one.”

Welcome Home: Mommy Gets Out Today

By: Jamantha Williams Watson

“When Bernice and her favorite cousin, Malaika meet Mother Olivia - Bernice's mother - for the first time; the girls share similar emotions while forcing themselves to understand society, familial and gender issues. Written primarily for students in grades 1st through 3rd, this story aids youth who are experiencing the return of a parent who has been incarcerated.”

The Same Stuff as Stars

By: Katherine Paterson

“Angel Morgan needs help. Daddy is in jail, and Mama has abandoned her and her little brother, leaving them with their great-grandmother. Grandma is aged and poor, and doesn’t make any attempt to care for the children—that’s left up to Angel, even though she is not yet twelve. The only bright spot in Angel’s existence is the Star Man, a mysterious stranger who appears on clear nights and teaches her all about the stars and planets and constellations. “We’re made out of the same stuff as the stars,” he tells her.

Eventually, Grandma warms to the children and the three begin to cobble together a makeshift family. Then events in Angel’s life take yet another downturn, and she must once again find a way to persevere.”

ANDY: Another New Dad-Less Year

By: Amanda Florence-Houk

“ANDY is designed to be a self-help book for families experiencing parental incarceration. The content of the book is based upon current literature regarding paternal incarceration. This book can also be used as a tool to make others more considerate of the trials faced by children of incarcerated dads.”

Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me

By: Daniel Beaty

“Every morning, I play a game with my father.

He goes knock knock on my door

and I pretend to be asleep

till he gets right next to the bed.

And my papa, he tells me, "I love you."

But what happens when, one day, that "knock knock" doesn't come? This powerful and inspiring book shows the love that an absent parent can leave behind, and the strength that children find in themselves as they grow up and follow their dreams.”

Mountain Dog

By: Margarita Engle

“When Tony's mother is sent to jail, he is sent to stay with a great uncle he has never met in Sierra Nevada. It is a daunting move―Tony's new world bears no semblance to his previous one. But slowly, against a remote and remarkable backdrop, the scars from Tony's troubled past begin to heal.

With his Tió and a search-and-rescue dog named Gabe by his side, he learns how to track wild animals, is welcomed to the Cowboy Church, and makes new friends at the Mountain School. Most importantly though, it is through Gabe that Tony discovers unconditional love for the first time, in Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle.”

Anna's Test

By: Whitney Quinn Hollins, Ph.D. & Kiki Kitty

“Anna is an awesome student who looks forward to her spelling test each week so she can show her parents. Her dad is especially proud of her. When she goes to visit her dad in prison, Anna can't wait to share the good news with him! Written and illustrated by directly impacted individuals, Anna's Test is a book that fosters conversation and allows children with incarcerated parents to see themselves represented in literature. While Anna's story is not the story of every child with an incarcerated parent, it can serve to facilitate a much needed conversation about parental incarceration. Aiming to decrease the secrecy and stigma that is attached to parental incarceration and highlight the goodness of these families, Anna's Test focuses on positive family dynamics despite obstacles.”

Almost Like Visiting

By: Shannon Ellis & Katrina Tapper

“Almost Like Visiting aims to provide feelings and emotions children with an incarcerated parent may experience before, during and after visiting their parent in prison. The book primarily focuses on one way of visiting called video visiting. This book is a great resource for the population experiencing an incarcerated loved one and also serves to provide valuable information to their peers.”

Kennedy's Big Visit

By: Daphne Brooks

“Little Kennedy is so excited to visit her father again. After she tries on her princess dress and a tutu, Kennedys mother finds something pretty for her to wear. Finally, they are ready to take the long car ride to visit her daddy!

When Kennedy arrives at the big building, she knows she cannot run around or talk loudly. When she sees her father, she is happy and sad all at once. Happy because she loves her daddy, but sad because she knows her visit will come to an end soon and she will have to say goodbye. Even though she knows her father must be punished for his bad choices, Kennedy hopes that one day, God will answer her prayers and bring him home to her again.”

Letters to a Prisoner

By: Jacques Goldstyn & Angela Keenlyside

“Told entirely through illustrations, Letters to a Prisoner is a wordless story about the power of hope and the written word. Inspired by Amnesty International’s letter-writing campaigns to help free people who have been jailed for expressing their opinion, the book tells the story of a man who is arrested during a peaceful protest. In solitary confinement, he begins to despair―until a bird delivers a letter of support written by somebody outside the prison. Every day more missives arrive until the prisoner escapes his fate on wings made of letters.”

The Day we Visit Daddy in Prison

By: Cindy Similien & A. Honcharenko

“From award-winning children's book author and community advocate Cindy Similien is a heartwarming picture book that tells the story of a young girl and her family who visit her father in prison for the first time. This book was written to address the experiences faced by 2.7 million children in the USA who have at least one incarcerated parent. It can be used as an educational tool to foster honest conversations with children and help prepare them for visiting a parent in prison.”

Hazelnut Days

By: Emmanuel Bourdier & Zau

“It’s visiting day, and Dad smells like peppermint—yuck! If only he would wear that nice, breezy cologne that smells like hazelnut... So begins one boy’s brief weekly visit with his father in prison. Here’s a man who gets angry, but beneath that peppermint surface is much to admire, if only you take the time to look. This richly imagined picture book explores the inner life of a boy who struggles to love a father who can be difficult to love at times. Though they may only have brief visits together, it’s clear they love each other. This story bravely explores the all-too-hidden world of incarcerated parents. It’s also a beautiful testament to the power of love to bridge the walls that divide us.”

When Andy's Father Went to Prison

By: Martha W. Hickman & Larry Raymond

“When Andy's father is sent to prison for robbery and the family moves to be near him, Andy is afraid of what the kids at his new school will think”

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

By: Leslie Connor

“Eleven-year-old Perry was born and raised by his mom at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in tiny Surprise, Nebraska. His mom is a resident on Cell Block C, and so far Warden Daugherty has made it possible for them to be together. That is, until a new district attorney discovers the truth—and Perry is removed from the facility and forced into a foster home.

When Perry moves to the “outside” world, he feels trapped. Desperate to be reunited with his mom, Perry goes on a quest for answers about her past crime. As he gets closer to the truth, he will discover that love makes people resilient no matter where they come from . . . but can he find a way to tell everyone what home truly means?”

Wish You Were Here: Teens Write About Parents in Prison

By: Autumn Spanne, Nora McCarthy, & Laura Longhine

"More than 1.7 million children in the United States have a mother or father in prison. Children of inmates often carry a complicated tangle of guilt, shame, fear, anger, sadness, and longing for their absent parents. This book features true stories from both parents and teens who are coping with that separation, and struggling to figure out how to be part of each other's lives."

What Will Happen to Me: Every Night, Approximately Three Million Children Go to Bed with a Parent in Prison

By: Howard Zehr

“What is life like for a child who has a parent in prison? This book brings together photographic portraits of 30 children whose parents are incarcerated, along with their thoughts and reflections, in their own words.”

An Inmate's Daughter

By: Jan Walker

“In the summer between 7th and 8th grade, Jenna MacDonald does the dumbest thing ever. She tries to save a little girl from drowning. Jenna's family has a secret and her mother wants it kept. Jenna's father is in prison for murder. "Prison reflects on wives and children," Mom says. Keeping the fact of prison secret is made more difficult when the newspaper runs a story about Jenna's "Good Samaritan" rescue at the McNeil Island Corrections Center. Mom is mad, and Jenna just wants to fit in. "He may be in prison, but he's still my dad," Jenna says. As she writes in her journal, the children of prisoners are doing time too. Like more than two million children in the United States, Jenna and her brother struggle with the stigma, loss, separation, and shame of having a parent in prison. This heart-warming story shows what it's like to be one of the innocent victims."

Ruby on the Outside

By: Nora Raleigh Baskin

“Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes is about to start middle school, and only her aunt knows her deepest, darkest, secret: her mother is in prison.

Then Margalit Tipps moves into Ruby’s condo complex, and the two immediately hit it off. Ruby thinks she’s found her first true-blue friend—but can she tell Margalit the truth about her mom? Maybe not. Because it turns out that Margalit’s family history seems closely connected to the very event that put her mother in prison, and if Ruby comes clean, she could lose everything she cares about most.”

Invisible String

By: Partice Karst & Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

“Parents, educators, therapists, and social workers alike have declared The Invisible String the perfect tool for coping with all kinds of separation anxiety, loss, and grief. In this relatable and reassuring contemporary classic, a mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string. "That's impossible!" the children insist, but still they want to know more: "What kind of string?" The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: An Invisible String made of love. Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love. Does everybody have an Invisible String? How far does it reach? Does it ever go away? This heartwarming picture book for all ages explores questions about the intangible yet unbreakable connections between us, and opens up deeper conversations about love.”

Mama Loves Me From Far Away

By: Pat Brisson

“When Mama has to go away to prison, Sugar is left feeling alone and sad until her birthday comes around and Sugar gets a special, handcrafted gift that reassures her that her Mama is in her life even though they have been separated for the moment.”

Jakeman

By: Deborah Ellis

“Jake and his sister Shoshona have been under foster care since their single mother was arrested for possession and trafficking three years before. Both have found their own ways to cope: Shoshona has become a bossy mother figure; Jake, who is a budding comic book artist, has created an alter ego named Jakeman. And unbeknownst to his sister, Jake continues his one-man letter-writing campaign to the Governor, pleading for clemency for their mom.

Along with an assortment of nervous, angry, and damaged kids, Jake and Shoshona take a community-provided school bus four times a year on the long overnight journey through New York State to visit their mother in jail.

This time will be like no other trip they've ever taken. Their adult chaperones contract food poisoning on the way back and must be dropped off at a hospital. And their driver, refusing to wait for another adult to replace their chaperones, sets off again with only the kids and a hidden bottle of booze in tow. In no time they are off the main highway and lost. And their driver, now staggering drunk, abandons the kids and walks off, leaving them in the middle of nowhere.

Angry and sick to death of a system that has deserted them at every turn, Shoshana takes the wheel. And through a series of crazy side trips, Jake and the others hatch a plan to visit the Governor's mother. And when the old lady sees that her son has dismissed Jake's appeals and refused to even reply, she helps them face off with the Governor himself. Jake and the others find themselves at a photo opportunity that ends in tragedy even as it gives the long-abandoned kids a forum to be heard at long last.”

You Go Away

By: Dorothy Corey

“It's hard for young children to be apart from ones they love. First published in 1976, Dorothy Corey's classic picture book You Go Away has helped reassure generations of children with its simple story pattern: You go away... and you come back. I go away-and I come back. The repetition and pattern in this book will comfort youngsters, all the while reinforcing the idea that while parents go away, they also come back.”

When Parents Go to Jail

By: Brad Gosse

“What happens when moms and dads go to jail? Find out in this exciting and educational children's book.”

But Why is Mommy in Jail?

By: Erika Ruiz

“Every single day a child suffers from having a mother, father or loved one taken away by the system, a few really take the time to think about what the child is going through and how it will affect them long-term. During these rough times, we need to talk about the programs and support that are available. We should bring awareness to Children, letting them know that crime is something that Society deals with in Clumsy ways. Some innocent loved ones are jailed; others are unjustly punished for their crimes; others are kept incarcerated long after they are rehabilitated. These are real issues that do happen in life, and talking about them will creep positive change, preventing negative views on law enforcement and of the incarcerated loved one. It is so important to explain to the children that anyone can make a mistake, and some mistakes have serious consequences, but that working together to heal those mistakes can make things right. Children need to be taught that a parents mistakes or those of someone they love don't necessarily make them bad. And unfortunately, incarceration can happen to any family anytime.”

Rocky's Road: A Coloring Book for Children of Incarcerated Parents

By: Dr. Janice My. Beal

Clarissa's Disappointment: And Resources for Families, Teachers, and Counselors of Children of Incarcerated Parents

By: Megan Sullivan

“Clarissa Pettaway has waited five years for her father to come home from prison. When the day finally arrives, her mother makes a special dinner, and her father calls her his favorite names: Oh, Clarissa, Sissy, Sassafrass Girl, I'm never gonna leave you again. Soon, however, Clarissa discovers it isn't all that easy for people who have been incarcerated to rejoin their families and reenter society. Clarissa has to learn to cope with the reality of her father being out of prison, and all of the confusing, conflicting emotions it creates in her. Two books in one, Clarissa's Disappointment combines a moving children's story with resources to assist the families, teachers and counselors of children of incarcerated parents. The author, Megan Sullivan, is an associate professor at Boston University who specializes in helping children with incarcerated parents. Her own father was incarcerated when she was 10 years old. The illustrator, Daniel Jay, a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, is a nationally recognized artist whose mission is to inspire where art and science meet. Clarissa's Disappointment won the Press's Larry D. Underwood Prize for Children's Literature.”

Deena Misses Her Mom

By: Jonae Haynesworth, Jesse Holmes, Layonnie Jones, Kahliya Ruffin, Shout Mouse, & Leslie Pyo

“Lately, Deena has been getting angry. A lot. She acts out in school and keeps getting in trouble. Everyone is surprised because she used to be very calm, but that was before her mother went to jail. Her dad, her grandma, and her best friend Josey all do their best to help her out, but Deena doesn’t want to talk about it. Will a day at the carnival with her Dad help her open up?”

Our Moms (Living with Incarcerated Parents)

By: Q. Futrell & Clarissa Ferguson

“Meet Michael, Paul, Jennifer and Anne! All children are different in many ways, but all have one thing in common, their moms are in prison. Parental Incarceration affects children in many ways. This book will serve as a conversation starter for such a sensitive issue that impacts nearly 3 million children in the US.”

All Kinds of Families

By: Suzanne Lang

“Lots of nontraditional family structures are celebrated in this super-fun and super-accessible board book! Kids will love finding their own family represented, no matter if they have two moms, one grandpa, or just a cousin named Doug.

The brilliant creative team behind Grumpy Monkey wanted a simple book they could use to talk with their kids about the different kinds of families they would encounter in the world--so they made this! A silly and positive introduction to open-mindedness and all kinds of family love.”

A family is a Family is a Family

By: Sara O'Leary & Qin Leng

“When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all.

One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of stepsiblings, and another has a new baby.

As one by one, her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them — family of every shape, size and every kind of relation — the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special."

You Weren't With Me

By: Chandra Ghosh Ippen

“Little Rabbit and Big Rabbit are together after a difficult separation, but even though they missed each other, Little Rabbit is not ready to cuddle up and receive Big Rabbit’s love. Little Rabbit needs Big Rabbit to understand what it felt like when they were apart. “Sometimes I am very mad. I don’t understand why you weren’t with me,” says Little Rabbit, “I worry you will go away again.” Big Rabbit listens carefully and helps Little Rabbit to feel understood and loved. This story was designed to help parents and children talk about difficult separations to help them reconnect and find their way back to each other.”

Where Is My Dad?

By: Ambry L. Ivy, Taylor Ivy, & Endi Astiko

“Taylor is a fun-loving girl who seems to have it all. She loves school, enjoys her playtime, and even makes time for ballet and basketball! A life full of family and friends, a loving mother and so much of adventure -- yet one question lingers in Taylor's mind: "Where Is My Dad?" Follow Taylor's experience as she struggles to figure out who she is without her father and ponders about the one thing that seems to be missing. Come along, join this adventure and benefit from the knowledge, confidence, and imagination of children just like you! Where Is My Dad? is an insightful book filled with a positive approach that makes the awkward conversations easy and fosters a sense of understanding, love, and wisdom for both parents and children; promoting healing and forgiveness.”

Finding the Right Spot: When Kits Can't Live with Their Parents

By: Janice Levy & Whitney Martin

“A young girl living with her foster parent describes the emotional ups and downs of being separated from her mother and living in unfamiliar surroundings.”

When Can Daddy Come Home?

By: Martha Whitmore Hickman & Francis Livingston

“A second grader moves to a new town to be near his father who is in prison.”

My Father is in Prison

By: Patrick Baker

"Louis is a fourth grader who is moving into his grandmother’s house and is starting his first day at a new school. Louis’ father is absent from his life because he is in prison. Louis’ denial and disappointment in his father’s absence is displayed by his series of imaginative lies about his father’s whereabouts. Louis quickly learns he can only keep the lies going for so long and is forced to face the truth.”

My Dad is in Jail

By: Amber M. Ryan & Heather Torres

“This children's book sets out to normalize the feelings accompanied by the absence of a parent while either in prison or jail. Many children feel responsible for the separation and think they are all alone in their internal struggle for understanding. My Dad Is In Jail describes the good times and the bad times families face during this transition in their lives.”

Dad's in Prison

By: Sandra Cain, Margaret Speed, & Zul Mukhida

“Follows two young boys as they visit their dad in prison for the first time and explains the emotions they feel and the situations they encounter during their visit.”

My Dad's in Prison

By: Jackie Walter & Tony Neal

“A sensitive and moving account of having a parent in prison, written from a child's point of viewDad's gone away for a while, but I don't understand why. I miss him. Every year in the UK, over 200,000 children suffer the trauma of parental imprisonment. Children with a parent in prison feel isolated, ashamed - unable to talk about their situation because they are scared of being bullied and judged. They often feel that they are to blame and having a parent in prison marks them as an outcast. Children with parents in prison are: - twice as likely to experience conduct and mental health problems, and less likely to do well at school- three times more likely to be involved in offending- sixty-five per cent of boys with a convicted father will go on to offend This sensitively written picture book explores the experience of having a parent in prison from a child's point of view. Perfect for sharing with children, it promotes understanding and provides reassurance. It has been written with the advice and support of Storybook Dads, a charity that seeks to help children and parents maintain their relationship during imprisonment by providing CD recordings of fathers reading bedtime stories to their children.”

Let's Talk About When Your Parent is in Jail

By: Maureen Wittbold

“Discusses why jails exist, why people go to jail, and how to deal with having a parent in prison.”

Visiting Day

By: Jacqueline Woodson & James Ransome

“In this moving picture book from multi-award winning author Jacqueline Woodson, a young girl and her grandmother prepare for a very special day--the one day a month they get to visit the girl's father in prison. "Only on visiting day is there chicken frying in the kitchen at 6 a.m., and Grandma in her Sunday dress, humming soft and low." As the little girl and her grandmother get ready, her father, who adores her, is getting ready, too, and readers get to join the community of families who make the trip together, as well as the triumphant reunion between father and child, all told in Woodson's trademark lyrical style, and beautifully illustrated by James Ransome.”

Kofi's Mom

By: Richard Dyches, Edwin Garcia, & Roger Sheffer

“Kofi's Mom is a story about Kofi whose mother is sent to prison. It explores his feelings of loss and confusion. Through friends at school Kofi begins to talk about his mom and to look forward to her return.”

Nine Candles

By: Maria Testa & Amanda Schaffer

“After visiting his mother in prison on his seventh birthday, Raymond wishes it were his ninth birthday when Mama has promised to be home with his dad and him”

What is Jail, Mommy?

By: Jackie A. Stanglin

“This book was inspired by a much-loved, five year old whose father has been incarcerated most of her life. One day after visiting with friends who have both devoted parents in the home, this little girl blurted out to her mother in frustration, ?What is jail anyway, and why can?t Daddy be home with us?? She needed answers When the truth is withheld from children they tend to blame themselves for others mistakes and short-comings. It is the author's firm belief that it is incumbent on each of us to provide age-appropriate facts to young inquiring minds. To do otherwise will be evident in future generations. What Is Jail, Mommy? not only explains why the parent is incarcerated but what his/her life is like as an inmate.”

The Prison Alphabet: An Educational Picture Book for Children of Incarcerated Parents

By: Bahiyyah Muhammad & Muntaquim Muhammad

“More than 2.7 million children in America have a parent in prison. When a parent is incarcerated it can be very difficult to explain that to a child. This unique picture book was created to serve as a conversation starter between adults who plan to talk about parental incarceration with affected children. The Prison Alphabet allows each letter of the alphabet to serve as a topic of discussion. By using the letters of the alphabet, this book is a child-friendly approach to helping young children begin to understand what is going on behind bars with their parent or family member. The motivation for this coloring book emerged from Dr. Bahiyyah M. Muhammad's recognition that children with parents in prison have many questions about what prison life is like. During her extensive interviews with children of the incarcerated, children voiced their curiosity and concern about the daily lives of their loved ones. Specially developed books such as The Prison Alphabet can empower children to gain a better understanding of the experience of their loved ones behind bars, show children with parents in prison that they are not alone, and provide resources for caretakers to use to create opportunities to openly discuss the child's feelings and help them cope with their parents' absence. The Prison Alphabet is divided into two sections: The first section is a picture book and uses the letters of the alphabet, from A thru Z, to explain in a child-friendly manner what life is like inside a prison using terms associated with incarceration. The second section of the book contains a discussion guide to help caretakers and counselors explain parental incarceration to a young child by providing sample responses to children's commonly asked questions about life inside prison. The Prison Alphabet contains illustrations depicting ethnically diverse characters and can therefore be used by any race or gender. Furthermore, it provides opportunities to discuss maternal, paternal and/or familial incarceration.”

My Daddy's in Jail

By: Anthony Curcio

“There are nearly three million adults in the U.S. alone that are in prison or jail. Many of these being parents that leave behind unanswered questions with their children: What is jail? Why did this happen? Is it my fault? Is my daddy (or mommy) bad? Do they love me? My Daddy’s in Jail is a story of two bears who have a father in prison. The book is narrated by a very odd cockroach.”

When Dad Was Away

By: Karin Littlewood & Liz Weir

“When Mum tells Milly that Dad has been sent to prison, Milly feels angry and confused. She can't believe her dad won't be at home to read her stories and make her laugh.

But soon Mum takes Milly and her brother Sam to visit Dad in prison, and a week later a special package arrives at home - a cd of Milly's favourite animal stories, read especially for her by Dad. At Christmas the family go to a party at the prison, and in the spring there's an even better surprise for Milly and Sam…”

Missing Daddy

By: Mariame Kaba

“A little girl who misses her father because he's away in prison shares how his absence affects different parts of her life. Her greatest excitement is the days when she gets to visit her beloved father. With gorgeous illustrations throughout, this book illuminates the heartaches of dealing with missing a parent.”

The Night Dad Went to Jail: What to Expect When Someone You Love Goes to Jail

By: Melissa Higgins & Wednesday Kirwan

“When someone you love goes to jail, you might feel lost, scared, and even mad. This colorfully illustrated book lets children know that they are not alone in this situation. It offers age appropriate explanations to help with difficult conversations. Told from the experience of a rabbit, this picture book is intended to make a parent's incarceration a little less frightening.”

Far Apart, Close in Heart: Being a Family When a Loved One Is Incarcerated

By: Becky Birtha & Maja Kastelic

“Kids can have all kinds of feelings and questions when a parent is incarcerated. Rafael is embarrassed. Rashid is angry. Yen wonders if it's her fault. This sensitive story illustrates a range of situations children may face with moms or dads behind bars, while reassuring them they are not alone.”

What Do I Say About That?

By: Julia Cook & Anita Dufalla

“This book takes a unique look at the internal struggles with which a child of an incarcerated parent is faced.

My dad says that drugs and alcohol

made him choose to do the wrong things.

But he could have said no to the drugs and the booze,

then my life wouldn't be what it seems.

Why didn't he love us enough to say no?

Aren't we worth it to him?

He had a choice...us or drugs.

He chose to let the drugs win.

What Do I Say About That? creatively explores and validates the roller coaster journey of emotions that children of incarcerated parents endure. It also gives insight to the process of healing and coping.”