In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers

Abiade, Folami; Adedjouma, Davida; Anderson, David; Burgess, Michael; Hru, Dakari; Johnson, Dinah; Miller, E. Ethelbert; Moore, Lenard; Sanchez, Sonia; Weatherford, Carole Boston.  (1997).  In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall:  African Americans Celebrating Fathers.  Lee & Low Books, Inc.  Unpaged.  Illustrated  by Javaka Steptoe.

How can people honor their fathers, grandfathers, and father figures?  How about through a poem to show them how much they are loved and appreciated?

This is a book of poems dedicated to fathers.  In the poems, the poets share their special their relationship with their fathers.  The poems show how they feel safe and happy when they are with their fathers.  Grandfathers are also mentioned.  Some poems rhyme while others are told in prose.  Haikus are also included.  Children ages five through eight would like the fun rhythms of these poems and the stories they tell.  The pictures are very colorful.  They show texture, using everyday items found around the house.  Not all of the pictures are realistic, but they complement the poems very well. Parents and grandparents can share this book with their children and/or grandchildren to show each other how much they care for them.  People of any race and ethnicity would enjoy this book.  The title refers to how the poets feel about their fathers.  It gives the impression that they love their fathers and feel love and protection from them, and just as their fathers are there for them, they will be there for their fathers when their fathers need them, and this is the way it should be.

The poets have unique backgrounds, from teachers, to writers, professors, teaching assistants, actors, and storytellers.  Some have won awards (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award, Ezra Jack Keats Award, the PEN American/Norma Klein Award, and awards from the North Carolina Writers’ Network Harperprint Chapbook Competition) and received honors for their work.

In addition to winning the Coretta Scott King Award for illustrations, this book also won  ALA Notable Children’s Book, received Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly and ALA Booklist, and was on Los Angeles’ 100 Best Books International Reading Association Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.

Javaka Steptoe, the illustrator

Javaka Steptoe has also illustrated Rain Play, Jimi Hendrix Sounds Like a Rainbow:  A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, and Amiri and Odette:  A Love Story.