Forever and Always

by Brittany J. Thurman, Shamar Knight-Justice (Illustrator)

In this lyrical picture book from two breakout picture book creators, a young Black child waits for—and worries about—her father while he’s away from home. A sensitive, poignant portrayal of a family’s worries, joys, and comforts, to sit alongside books by Jacqueline Woodson and Christian Robinson. Every night when Daddy gets home from work, Olivia gives him a big hug and knows that the evening will be full of love—and fun. Together, she, Daddy, and Momma will make a feast for dinner, clean up, dance to old-school tunes, and read stories. But every morning when Daddy goes to work, Olivia worries, worries, worries. Be safe , she and Momma tell him. But what if he isn’t? Sometimes other people aren’t, like the people Olivia sees on the news. Thud, thud, thud , goes Olivia’s heart. Thump, thump, thump, all through the long day, until she hears the jangle of Daddy’s keys announcing he’s home. Brittany J. Thurman’s poetic text deftly explores the day-to-day life of a young Black child and her family—their joys and their fears—with a rhythm and musicality perfect for reading aloud. Shamar Knight-Justice’s expressive artwork sings with color, texture, and warmth. Forever and Always respects the deep emotions of young readers while offering comfort and reassurance to any child waiting for a loved one to come home. For readers of Nigel and the Moon , The Year We Learned to Fly, and Saturday.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, African American, Emotion, Love, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 16, 2024

Reviews

[Christie Angleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't miss the excellent (and essential) back matter!

[Ellen Leventhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brittany J. Thurman and Shamar Knight-Justice have created a book that tugs at your heartstrings and hopefully increases your awareness of what some children go through. A young Black child worries about her father as her mother sees on her phone that another person didn't make it home. As we learn in the wonderfully written backmatter, the author's grandmother says, "It's a blessing to safely return home." Thurman brings to mind issues of social justice as well as ways to help with a child's anxiety. I highly recommend this book.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about the love of a family. And that between a father and a daughter

It's about worrying that your loved one won't come home at the end of the day. You hold them close to your heart even when they are far away.

It's slightly about racial injustice and how some families worry more than others.

Seriously, it's lovely

[Tia Ramahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written and demonstrates that anxiety can affect people of all ages. More often than not, people believe anxiety doesn't affect children, yet it does. Olivia was anxious for her father--worried he wouldn't come home because being an EMT is dangerous. This book demonstrates how one can ease their anxiety with coping mechanisms. I would use this in my future classroom at the beginning of the year. It's hard to say goodbye to your parents and be away from them for an extended period of time. It's normal for children to be anxious, worried, and emotional about that, and as an educator, it's part of my role to ease those emotions. We'll discuss what these feelings mean and how to work on regulating them together; this could be through breathing methods, drawing, bracelet making, etc.

[Jennifer Meriedth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for any child who may struggle with anxiety and stress that comes with missing their family. In the story the daughter, Olivia is nervous about her father (an EMT) returning home from his shifts at work and she and her mother find ways to help the time pass by quicker. The back matter of the book features a note from the author that is a must read that I don't want to spoil.
I would like to get a copy of this book for my future classroom, because it can help students who may have a similar situation to Olivia feel seen. The story can help as a calming read for students who may be struggling with stress and anxiety while they are in the classroom all day too while their parents are at work.

[Liz Wellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliva gets very anxious when her dad goes to work everyday. She has many copping skills that she uses but they never seem to make the anxiety go all the way away. She ends up making a bracelet with colors that symbolize things that bring her joy and calm her anxiety. The bracelet is given to her dad as a way to always be with him.
I would use this book to teach about copping with anxiety but also about white privilege and police brutality. Oliva has anxiety about her dad leaving but it is also heightened by the current events of the world. This would be a good text to begin the conversation about how we worry about different things which is affected by the color of our skin in today's world.

[SOYAMRG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very heartfelt picture book about the anxiety and worry a young Black girl has waiting for her father (an EMT) to come home safely late at night.

Each night Olivia and her mother are full of joy to greet her dad at the door. They dance, make dinner and pour the love on one another. Backmatter discusses real dread and fear that your loved might not come home and that it might have something to do with the way they look.

The story and the backmatter also offer some coping tips for missing your parents and dealing with the anxiety that comes with it.

Recommended purchase.

R.U.
YS Director

[Averi Noreuil · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Forever and Always" is about a girl named Olivia and the relationship she shares with her father. Olivia is very close with her father. They spend a lot of time together and Olivia can't wait for him to return when he's at work. She worries about her father coming home safe from his job. Olivia's mother attempts to distract her from her concerns.

I love that the story highlights how close and important a father and daughter relationship can be. I think "Forever and Always" speaks more so to children with parents that have dangerous jobs. I would read this book in my classroom to ease the worries of children with family members with dangerous jobs.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how the dad was a really great role model for his daughter as he was an EMT. That is a very meaningful and admirable job. I also loved the love of the family. I didn't care for the author's note at the end because it was very one-sided and also didn't seem to apply to the book she wrote. The people in the story were a stable family where the dad had a respectable job, the mother was a loving caretaker of her daughter, etc. The parents were making good choices with their lives and leading by example so their daughter would grow up to do the same.

[Madeline Royer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Olivia a little Black girl who admires her parents. In the book specifically the book focuses on the dad. We see that the dad works as an EMT and so we see the worry that the mother and Olivia get at times. They get worried when they see on the news bad things happening around the world. This book gives reassurance, empathy, and a sense of love the children have for their parents. In my future classroom I can use this book to help have a discussion about safety and trust. Or even when kids are feeling sad and missing their parents reassurance that everything will be okay.

[Erin Pioquinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly felt the anxiety Olivia was feeling about her father throughout the book through the text and illustrations. The author and illustrator truly blended well together in this book, which made it an enjoyable read. The author's note in the back was also a part of the book that made it good as it tied everything together. I would use this book to talk about how the concept of "coming home" looks different for everyone and work with my students to maybe make a bracelet of their own for their caregivers to also have, forever and always.

[Savina Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever and Always is written in a very beautiful way that allows us to see the family's day-to-day, and how much they love each other. It also introduces readers to anxiety and feelings of worry when someone you love is putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation for work. Reading the story through the lens of the main character, Olivia, allows readers to see the realities of what some families face daily. While the content of this story may be a little heavy for younger readers, it also provides comfort for those in this reality.

[Claire Dannaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave Forever and Always 3 out of 5 stars. The message is strong; it shows a Black family’s love and worry as the dad heads off to work as an EMT. The writing is poetic and emotional, and the illustrations are bold. I actually think this could be a really good read-aloud, especially if you want to open up space for talking about feelings, safety, or routines. It’s a little heavy, but it could lead to some meaningful conversations. I’d use it in a unit on family or emotions, maybe with older preschoolers or early elementary.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief summary: Olivia looks forward to seeing her father come home from work and greet her with a hug. They create dinner with Mom and have a nice evening together.

Olivia hugs her father in the morning before he leaves for work, worrying about his dangerous job as an emergency medical technician. While waiting, she makes him a bracelet to wear.

Will her father return?

Comments: The illustrations are created using mixed-media elements and Procreate.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

[Kendall Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl named Olivia is happy when her dad finally gets home from work. They cook dinner with mom. She says bye to her Dad in the morning when he leaves for work. That night he is late to come home from work. Olivia does different activities while waiting for her dad. She waits by the window for him to get home.

I would use this book in my class to explain that even though some parents work long hours they will still be home to love their child.

[Kennedi Foster]

Forever and always is a story about the bond between a little girl and her father that works late nights and early mornings as an EMS paramedic. This book shows us how even when we are apart from the ones we care about, the love we share between us will never go away. I could use this book in my future classroom to allow students to share about the special people in their life, and ways we can show our affection towards them.

[Jordan Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showed a nuclear family and highlighted feelings children might struggle with missing their parents and worrying about them. It also showed healthy coping strategies like creating the bracelet, counting to 10 and taking deep breaths. I might use this in the beginning of the year when the children are anxious to be away from their parents or before breaks when they may not have a parent and instead a babysitter watching them.

[Ashlyn May · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Forever and Always," written by Brittany Thurman, highlights a family with a working father and a young Black daughter who worries and waits for him to get home. I could use this book in my classroom at the beginning of the year when a child may be missing their parents or guardians more than usual. I could have them make a bracelet like the one in the book to give to the people or person they may miss the most.

[Karina Zamora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Forever and Always is a touching story about a young girl who loves and and worries about her father, who works an an EMT. I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars because it shows love, care, and family in a heartfelt way. In my future classroom, I could use this book to talk about feelings, family, and community helpers, and I can have students share or write about people they care about and why they are important.

[Emma Hoeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I do think it was a little too long for preschoolers to read at once. This book would have to be split into three sections of a reading book. Other than that, I think the book would be very helpful for students who have a working parent and that are gone for multiple days on end or just have working parents. I feel like this book would be good for a literacy bag because it can help for students at home, so that they can work through it together as a family.

[Madeline M Pomis]

Forever and Always by Brittany J. Thurman is a book about a young girl named Olivia who waits each day for her father, an EMT, to come home safely. The story covers love, family, and the worry of waiting for a family member to come home safe and sound. I would utilize this in my classroom as many of my students will have essential worker family members , or just family that they are apart from and miss. This could help my students feel not alone in worrying for and missing their loves ones.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An understated picture book that on first read might seem like just a book about the daily life of a Black family. But a slightly deeper reading reveals the anxiety that Olivia and her mother feel when her father goes to work and doesn't return until late at night. Empathetic and honest about the fears that many families face.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about the love between a daughter and her father and the anxiety worried about him returning home safely. Adults and some children will get the message of the extra concern of Black family members arriving home safely due to systematic racism. Others will see a sweet story about a little girl worrying about her father.

[Abby Kunz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about a little girl who find activities to pass the time until her dad comes home. It discusses anxiety and coping mechanisms. This would be a wonderful introduction to discussing what makes us feel anxious, ways that we calm ourselves down, and how to use the cozy corner and the library in the classroom.

[Emma Trader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so beautiful and heartwarming. All of the descriptions are detailed and thorough. This story goes through the different emotions of having a parent who has to go away for work/business. As a future teacher, I think this would be a good story to share at any time, as many of my students will probably have big feelings about missing their parents.

[Allyson Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever and Always by Christine Thurman is a story that celebrates the enduring love between family members and the reassurance that love remains constant through life’s changes. In my future classroom, I would use this book to help children explore emotions, family connections, and the concept of unconditional love through discussion or art activities.

[Bella Drummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about an emotional experience of a young black child as she is waiting for her father to return home from work. The story is capturing the love and longing, as well as little anxiety that come with a parent's absence
I would use this story in my future classroom and as a class, create an emotions wheel and we would point to each emotion that we think Olivia has during the story.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story that shows several things so well: parent-child love, anxiety, and family joy. The author's note discusses the existential dread that many Black families experience because Black lives are not valued as others, and provides coping tips for readers of all ages.

[Sophia Gholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet and poignant story is written beautifully and captured through gorgeous art. If you have a child who worries at all (and who doesn’t worry in today’s world?) this heartfelt and lovely book is for them. Highly recommend!

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong picture of family love, Olivia and Momma awaiting the return of Daddy from his day at work as an emergency med tech. Great author note. “It’s a blessing to safely return home.” Author’s grandmother’s saying, book prompted by Black Lives Matter and the individuals who didn’t return home.