Daniel Discovers Daniel

by John M. Barrett, Joe Servello (Illustrator)

Sure that he isn't loved because he receives so little attention from his father, Daniel determines to make a bond between them.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1979

Reviews

[Liane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Illustrated children's book

Reading Level: Transitional

Topics & Themes: Parent favoritism. Low self-esteem of the unfavored child.

Curricular Use: Guided reading.

Social: Sibling rivalry.

Literary Elements: Conflict: person v self and person v person. Daniel struggles to change himself to create a bond between him and his father, whom he feels neglects him. 1st person from Daniel's perspective to communicate how his treatment by his father effects him.

Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures. Servello uses black and red illustrations to convey the actions and the emotion in the book. The black is Daniel's reality and the red pictures are his thoughts/imagination/wishes. A great way to show the divide on what is happening and how Daniel sees it.

Additional Notes: Caitlyn's nomination for “Won't You Be My Neighbor” Award.

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Daniel is trying to become buddies with his Dad like his younger brother Peter is. His Dad and Peter enjoy sports, while Daniel enjoys reading and collecting stamps. Daniel tries really hard to become buddies with his dad, he even tries playing basketball with his Dad. In the end, Daniel's father wants to help him with his play. This picture book would be good for a transitional reader. I believe that this book would be good for an independent reading or a read-aloud. The pictures confirm the meaning of the book. The pictures are wonderful, the pictures drawn in black is what is actually being said when reading the book and the red pictures represent what Daniel is thinking about in his head.