A little boy spends the weekend at his dad’s new apartment in this picture book about how things change when parents separate — and the important things that stay the same.
“This home is home because my dad is here, and it’s nothing like home because my mom isn’t here,” thinks the boy in this story when he enters his dad’s new apartment for the first time. His dad moved out on Monday and now it’s Friday night, the start of his weekend with his dad.
The boy and his dad follow their normal weekend routine — they eat eggs for breakfast, play cards and spend time at the park. And then they do the same things on Sunday. It is hard to say goodbye at the end of the weekend, but Dad gives his son a letter to remind him that, even if they can’t always be together, the boy is loved.
Naseem Hrab has written a poignant yet hopeful story, strikingly illustrated in Frank Viva’s signature style, about what happens when parents separate, and the new reality of having two homes.
Key Text Features
author’s note
writing inspiration
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
A little boy spends the weekend at his dad’s new apartment in this picture book about how things change when parents separate — and the important things that stay the same.
“This home is home because my dad is here, and it’s nothing like home because my mom isn’t here,” thinks the boy in this story when he enters his dad’s new apartment for the first time. His dad moved out on Monday and now it’s Friday night, the start of his weekend with his dad.
The boy and his dad follow their normal weekend routine — they eat eggs for breakfast, play cards and spend time at the park. And then they do the same things on Sunday. It is hard to say goodbye at the end of the weekend, but Dad gives his son a letter to remind him that, even if they can’t always be together, the boy is loved.
Naseem Hrab has written a poignant yet hopeful story, strikingly illustrated in Frank Viva’s signature style, about what happens when parents separate, and the new reality of having two homes.
Key Text Features
author’s note
writing inspiration
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — May 1, 2020 |
| Specifications | |
| Keywords | divorce; separation; moving; parents and children; family break-up; new home; homesickness; family and family issues; accepting change; children with two homes; father and son; adaptability; caring; child as narrator; first person narration; writing letters; writing workshop; connecting; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade two; grade 4; grade 5; grade 6; picture book; realistic fiction; author's note; writing inspiration; |
| Written By |
NASEEM HRAB is the award-winning author of stories for children including How to Party Like a Snail; Weekend Dad, a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist; and The Sour Cherry Tree, a Governor General’s Literary Award winner. Her work has been translated into several languages and praised by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, NPR and more. She worked as a librarian for a time and currently works in children's publishing. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Illustrated by |
FRANK VIVA is an award-winning illustrator and designer living and working in Toronto. His first picture book, Along a Long Road, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and was named one of the New York Times’ 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books. His other books for children include Sea Change, which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, Outstanding in the Rain and Young Frank, Architect. His art has appeared in the New York Times and on the cover of the New Yorker. He is a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review. |
| Written By |
|
NASEEM HRAB is the award-winning author of stories for children including How to Party Like a Snail; Weekend Dad, a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist; and The Sour Cherry Tree, a Governor General’s Literary Award winner. Her work has been translated into several languages and praised by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, NPR and more. She worked as a librarian for a time and currently works in children's publishing. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Illustrated by |
|
FRANK VIVA is an award-winning illustrator and designer living and working in Toronto. His first picture book, Along a Long Road, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and was named one of the New York Times’ 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books. His other books for children include Sea Change, which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, Outstanding in the Rain and Young Frank, Architect. His art has appeared in the New York Times and on the cover of the New Yorker. He is a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review. |
| Audience | ages 4 to 7 / grades K to 2 |
| Reading Levels |
Guided Reading M
Fountas & Pinnel Text Level M |
| Key Text Features | author's note; writing inspiration |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 |
Winner, Toronto Public Library First and Best, 2020
Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature — Illustrated Books, 2020
Short-listed, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, 2021
Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year, 2020
Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Center, CCBC Choices, 2021
“Viva’s illustrations capture the abundant emotional subtext with simple but effective lines. Unsparingly compassionate; an excellent addition to the collection of books about separation and divorce.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Hrab uses repetition … to simply yet powerfully establish the family’s new routine, while Viva’s line drawings, in shades of green, yellow, and rose, gently twine the child’s newly separate experiences of family.” — Publishers Weekly
“Separation and divorce are common, and this book is a great recommendation for any family dealing with them.” — School Library Journal
“The sketchy cartoon illustrations are as simple as the story, which they reflect in this affecting story of a child of divorce.” — Booklist
“Truthful and touching, this picture book sends the reassuring message that children can be deeply loved even when parents separate.” — Horn Book
“Frank Viva’s restrained hand-inked illustrations match Hrab’s prose perfectly … [F]or children – and parents – who find themselves navigating post-divorce realities, [Weekend Dad] will feel essential.” — Quill & Quire