BOOKS ABOUT PARENTAL INCARCERATION

Anna's Test

By: Whitney Hollins Anna is an awesome student who looks forward to her spelling test each week so she can show her parents. Her dad is...

Clarissa's Disappointment

By: Megan Sullivan Clarissa Pettaway has waited five years for her father to come home from prison. When the day finally arrives, her...

Deena Misses Her Mom

By: Jonae Haynesworth, Jesse Holmes, Layonnte, Jones, and Kahltya Ruffin Lately, Deena has been getting angry. A lot. She acts out in...

Doogie's Dad

By: Richard Dyches This story is about Doogie, a young boy and his sister, whose father is sent to prison. It explores their feelings of...

Far Apart, Close in Heart

By: Becky Birtha Kids can have all kinds of feelings and questions when a parent is incarcerated. Rafael is embarrased. Rashid is angry....

How Mommy Found Her Way Home

By: Annette Dominguez and Candace Paulucci “ How Mommy Found Her Way Home”, is the story of a little girl named Lily whose mother must...

Jakeman

By: Deborah Ellis Jake and his sister Shoshona have been under foster care since their single mother was arrested for possession and...

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, Kennedy's...

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...

Kofi's Mom

By: Richard Dyches Kofi's Mom is a story about Kofi whose mother is sent to prison. It explores his feelings of loss and confusion....

Let's Talk About When Your Parent Is in Jail

By: Maureen K. Wittbold Discusses why jails exist, why people go to jail, and how to deal with having a parent in prison. Available on...

Mama Loves Me from Away

By: Pat Brisson Boyds Mills Press publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, novels, and...

Mami, Que Es una Carcel?

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...

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...

My Daddy Is In Jail

By: Janet M. Bender Provides resources--including stories, small group counseling activities, and a discussion guide--for helping...

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...

Our Moms

By: Q. Futrell Meet Michael, Paul, Jennifer and Anne! All children are different in many ways, but all have one thing in common, their...

The Night Dad Went to Jail

By: Melissa Higgins When someone you love goes to jail, you might feel lost, scared, and even mad. This colorfully illustrated book lets...

The Prison Alphabet

By: Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammad and Muntaquim Muhammad More than 2.7 million children in America have a parent in prison. When a parent is...

Visiting Day

By: Jacqueline Woodson In this moving picture book from multi-award winning author Jacqueline Woodson, a young girl and her grandmother...

Waiting for Daddy

By: Jennie Lou Harriman and Kylie Ann Flye This is a story about a young girl, who wants more than anything to be with her father, but...

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;...

When Dad Was Away

By: Liz Weir and Karin Littlewood When Mum tells Milly that Dad has been sent to prison, Milly feels angry and confused. She can't...

When I Miss You

By: Cornelia Maude Spelman Young children often experience anxiety when they are separated from their mothers or fathers. A young guinea...

When I Visit My Daddy... We Dance

By: Josiah J. H. Webber and Ramona L. Wright This is a book of hope and encouragement for children with parents that are incarcerated,...

When Someone Loves You So, So Much

By: Nancy Baranski If your child is struggling to cope with a parent who is incarcerated, you are not alone. I've created this book in...

Zachary's New Home: A Story for Foster and Adopted Children

By: Geraldine M. Blomquist, M.S.W & Paul Blomquist Zachary still remembers his "real" parents and finds that adjusting to life as Marie...

CHILDREN

Everyone Makes Mistakes

By: Madison Strempek Take a heartwarming journey with 10-year-old author, Madison Strempek, as she candidly depicts her life experience...

From the Desk of Zoe Washington

By: Janae Marks Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his...

Growing Up on 21st Street, Washington, DC: A Memoir

By: Bryant Mayo This book tells the life story of Bryant Mayo, a young man growing up in Northeast Washington DC. It is an autobiography...

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:...

Slugg: A Boy's Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration

By: Tony Lewis Jr. with K.L Reeves Slugg: A Boy's Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration is a blueprint for survival and a demonstration...

Teen Guide to Living With Incarcerated Parents

By: Anyé Young

What Do I Say About That? Coping With An Incarcerated Parent

By: Julia Cook This book takes a unique look at the internal struggles with which a child of an incarcerated parent is faced. My dad says...

What Will Happen to Me?

By: Howard Zehr and Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz What is life like for a child who has a parent in prison? This book brings together...

Wish You Were Here: Teens Write About Parents in Prison

"More than 1.7 million children in the United States have a mother or father in prison. Children of inmates often carry a complicated...

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...

YOUTH

Children of Incarcerated Parents: Theoretical, Developmental, and Clinical Issues

By: Yvette R. Harris, James A. Graham, Gloria J. Oliver Carpenter This book serves as a comprehensive source for understanding and...

Empowering Children of Incarcerated Parents

By: Stacey Burgess, Tonia Caselman, and Jennifer Carsey This book is for counselors, social workers, psychologists and teachers who work...

Handbook on Children with Incarcerated Parents

By: J. Mark Eddy and Julie Poehlmann-Tynan The second edition of this handbook examines family life, health, and educational issues that...

Supporting Children of Incarcerated Parents in School

By: Whitney Q. Hollins Drawing on qualitative research conducted with young people in New York, this volume highlights the unique...

The ABC's of Surviving Prison

By: Erin Roys This book is written for those who are facing prison time and those who are serving their sentence. It is also for those...

ADULT