My Daddy is DEPLOYED

In this lighthearted children’s book, a little girl named Anna talks to her mom about her daddy being deployed. Deployment is a new experience for this little girl, as it is with many more children every year, and she doesn’t like it very much at all. Anna and her mom explore her feelings about deployment and all of the ways that the little girl can think of to get her daddy home...fast. Anna's mom encourages her creativity through make-believe and imaginative play. In the end, Anna's mom tells her that they need to be strong and daddy will be home before she knows it. Anna dreams about the day her daddy comes home and how perfect it will be! Like other board books intended for children ages 0 - 3 this book is illustrated with large colorful pictures depicting Anna's ideas, while short sentences tell about the picture for developing young readers. The story is 190 words in length for developing attention spans. The artwork is intended to be another part of the learning experience for young readers, teaching children the names of different types of different objects, colors and places in the world around them. The “feeling" words in this book are intended to help young children learn more about some of the feelings they may experience when a parent is deployed, or on a trip away from home.

Brandy Marik is a certified School Counselor in the state of Tennessee. Brandy is a military spouse, veteran and mother of a four-year-old daughter, who has found that there is still a need for interactive books that explore emotions while teaching important developmental concepts to young military children.