Daisy: A book about Child Abuse [Illustrated] [Library Binding]

E. Sandy Powell (Author), Peter J. Thornton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991 | Age Level: 7 and up

A young girl deals with the emotional and physical problems of being a victim of child abuse.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It's hard to tell someone if you're being abused," says Powell's fictional Daisy, who knows this firsthand: until she was eight, she told no one that she was being verbally and physically abused by her frequently inebriated father, who raised her alone after her mother "left." Daisy's straightforward, affecting account chronicles her father's appalling cruelty. When one day Daisy appears at school with a black eye, Mrs. Calley, a volunteer tutor, convinces her to tell the principal her story. The girl is sent to live with a kind foster family while her father receives help. The book's critical message rings loud and clear: if you are being abused, let someone know about it. The reassuring Mrs. Calley also makes other worthwhile points: abused youngsters have done nothing to deserve this treatment; and many parents who were hurt by their parents find it very hard not to abuse their own children. Though Thornton's black-and-white pencil drawings have a dated look that may put some kids off, they do underscore the depth of Daisy's anguish. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-- Nine-year-old Daisy tells of the emotional and physical abuse she suffered until she came to trust a tutor in her school. As her story progresses, readers become aware of her father's abuse and her mother's abandonment. The child learns to hide her bruises with long-sleeved sweaters and finds comfort in her drawings until her father forbids her to draw. A black eye and a plea from her tutor to get help finally cause her to break down. Although this story has a limited audience, it addresses issues of self-image and encourages children to take positive action. However, Daisy's fear of the authorities remains unresolved, and her placement in a foster home happens with little evidence of professional adult concern. Readers with similar fears or in a similar situation may not be reassured. There are not a lot of answers here, but the book, with its somber black-and-white pencil drawings and heartbreaking first-person narrative, should raise plenty of questions and spark discussion among children when shared with adults. --Pearl Herscovitch, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876144490
• ISBN-13: 978-0876144497
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,035,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. Sandy Powell -- friends call her "Sparky" -- lives and writes overlooking the ocean, in a small town on the southern Oregon coast, USA. For fun she romps on the beach with "Emma the Lighthouse Dog" and travels in a mini motorhome to visit her grown kids and grandkids. Sparky finds her innate joie de vivre greatly enhanced through her Abraham-Hicks spiritual practice.
Therein Sparky thrills over what's ahead in the publication of her work: children's, picture books to middle elementary novel; adult fiction and nonfiction; plus a musical script and screenplay (www.InOurHandsNow.com).

More soon!