Willie's Dad by Stanley Williams All ages 28 pages Williamspublishing February 2008 Paperback     Willie's Dad by Stanley Williams is a large paperback children’s book about unselfish love that will move your heart. Author Stanley Williams shows children the heart-wrenching sacrifices that a family goes through when someone they love is incarcerated. Readers are also shown the emotional toll it takes on the person behind bars. The 28-pages are illustrated by Naima Abdul-Haqq in a style reminiscent of coloring books that look like they may have been created by a talented child – which is perfect for this audience, communicating to children in a personal way. Willie has kept a secret from his kindergarten classmates: his father is in jail, and he doesn’t expect to get out in the foreseeable future. Willie's dad is well aware that Tina, Willie’s mom, has moved on and found a new man, Duanne, who supports her, respects her and accompanies her during the visits to the jail – the dad can see that all she needs is his permission to move on. He wants his young son, who barely recognizes his own father, to have a positive male role model in his life – helping him through all the life challenges he has yet to face. And so, unselfishly, Willie’s dad tells the three of them through tears that he would like them to become a family. Willie, his mother and Duanne leave the jail with a lot on their minds, but soon they are happily planning the wedding and looking forward to their new life together. Stanley Williams was born and raised in Illinois and had experience in the Marine Corps and as a correctional officer before returning to university and obtaining a degree in education. Williams is currently working in the field of special education; he is also an active musician who enjoys composing songs in his spare time. (Unfortunately, I could not find any information on eco-printing or socially responsible options that the publisher has chosen to employ during the production of this book, such as using vegetable inks, recycled content, carbon offset efforts or support of a charitable organization. As such, I feel I must dock the book a half star.)     web reviews   Lillian Brummet/2008 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)