The sister and brother team of author, Dianne. R. Swann and illustrator, Willie L. Buckhanon Jr. collaborated on My Dad Is Not With Us. Both Pell City, Alabama natives, the siblings spent the majority of their childhood being raised by a single mom (the late Mrs. Frances Nell Swann Buckhanon). My Dad Is Not With Us explores the questions a child has to answer usually as early as in the sandbox about an absent father. A child is immediately singled out in preschool as different if his dad can't come and read to the class or if his mom shows up to every school event and dad never does or even if his mom never shows up because she has to work to provide for the family. Questions are asked by the other kids and administrators. Only a kid who once had to answer these questions can testify to the stress and pressure of a child who has to answer them in the future. The author and the illustrator were once this kid.