When Michael's dad comes to stay, Michael takes him to school and they eat out in restaurants and they spend the nights in a motel. During their week together Michael learns things about his dad that he never knew before. This sensitively handled story, with expressive illustrations, is about a boy who comes to realize that distance does not diminish the special bond and affection between father and son.

My name is Michael.
I live in Arizona with my mother.
My father lives in Delaware.
My mother and father don't speak to each other
except when they have to make plans about me.
I love my mother and my father.
I hate the way they don't speak to each other anymore.

"How far away are you?"
I ask my father
when he calls on the phone.
"About two thousand miles," he says.
"That's far," I say.
"Seven states as the crow flies," he says,
"two seconds as the heart beats."

Once a year
my father comes to New Mexico to see me.
He takes a room in a motel
and I stay with him for a week.

AS THE CROW FLIES
illustrated by Joan Sandin
Clarion Books
ages 5-10
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Related Links:

• Fathers Divorce Line
• Divorce Source.com
• Making the Most of Long Distance Fathering
• Non-Custodial Parents Resource Center

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"Both parents come across as caring, sensitive, and supportive, but that doesn't keep Michael from being 'sick of missing people.' The author captures a boy's-eye view of the excitement of the visit and the warmth of the father- son relationship without downplaying the pain of divorce. Although there is no easy resolution offered, along with the pain there is also a sense of hope."

"In an honest, upbeat story, second-grader Michael tells of when his divorced father comes to visit. Many will recognize how Michael feels."

"A poignant book that takes an upbeat approach to an inherently bad (from a child's perspective) situation."