cover image Daisy

Daisy

E. Sandy Powell. Carolrhoda Books, $0 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-87614-449-7

``It's hard to tell someone if you're being abused,'' says Powell's fictional Daisy, who knows this firsthand: until she was eight, she told no one that she was being verbally and physically abused by her frequently inebriated father, who raised her alone after her mother ``left.'' Daisy's straightforward, affecting account chronicles her father's appalling cruelty. When one day Daisy appears at school with a black eye, Mrs. Calley, a volunteer tutor, convinces her to tell the principal her story. The girl is sent to live with a kind foster family while her father receives help. The book's critical message rings loud and clear: if you are being abused, let someone know about it. The reassuring Mrs. Calley also makes other worthwhile points: abused youngsters have done nothing to deserve this treatment; and many parents who were hurt by their parents find it very hard not to abuse their own children. Though Thornton's black-and-white pencil drawings have a dated look that may put some kids off, they do underscore the depth of Daisy's anguish. Ages 6-9. (Oct.)