Keeping the Night Watch

Keeping the Night Watch was written by Hope Anita Smith and Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. It is a chapter, poetry book. The theme of the book is the importance of family and trust. The primary character is C.J. and the secondary characters are his family, especially his father. The book was published in 2008 by Henry Holt and Company.

C.J. is the oldest child in his family. His father walked out on them and he took the father role in the family. Once his father comes back, everyone else is quick to trust him, but C.J. resents his father and does not want him back. C.J. writes about how his family handles his dad leaving and returning and the struggles he has about trusting him again. I would use this book to introduce older students to how poetry can be used in every day life. The author of this book wrote about his feelings towards his father. By reading this story, students could use it as a model to write a book about their own life or feelings.