My Brother is Away

I read “My Brother is Away” to my class today, and the room grew quiet in that kind of way when children are deeply listening — feeling.


Almost instantly, they began making text-to-text connections with Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña — both stories where a child processes absence, love, and complicated feelings through imagination and quiet strength.

Just as books like “Milo Imagines the World” and “Visiting Day” by Jacqueline Woodson do, this story opens a gentle window into what it’s like to have a loved one who is incarcerated. It’s tender, honest, and deeply necessary — a story that names an experience many children quietly carry.

I found myself wishing I had this book when I was young. Having family members who were incarcerated, I know how isolating that silence can feel. This story would have offered comfort, language, and a sense of being seen.