Dad Storybooks

Thank you for this recognition, YWCA Greater Cleveland! I appreciate your support as I work to help dads establish reading rituals with their kids. ❤️

This Black-Owned Business Month, we’re proud to spotlight Margaret Bernstein, a 2023 Women of Achievement honoree and founder of Dad Storybooks.

Award-winning journalist and author Margaret Bernstein founded Dad Storybooks to encourage fathers to build meaningful connections with their children through reading and storytelling.

Learn more at margaretbernstein.org

As it says in my "The Fathers Walk" storybook, "The walk started in Chicago and every year it grows and grows." Today I got to make a pilgrimage to the homey, book-filled office of the Black Star Project in Chicago, which originated the Million Father March concept. I got a warm welcome from director Gloria Smith, whose brother Philip Jackson was the iconic founder of the organization. She is doing a beautiful job of keeping this nonprofit alive, vibrant and community-centered.

I'm proud to be a part of Cleveland Kids' Book Bank's campaign!

If we want kids to be proficient readers, we need to make sure they see relatable images in the pages of their books. I'm so proud to be on the Books Like Me committee for Kids' Book Bank. Take a few minutes and learn more Thursday at this online event:

Changing the Narrative | Kids' Book Bank 2026 Changing the Narrative Events Throughout the year, Kids’ Book Bank staff will host events around the theme of Books Change the Narrative. These free online and in-person events are open to anyone interested in learning about the Kids’ Book Bank, literacy in Cleveland, and how partners are w...

This is not a badly cropped photo. 🙂 It's a photoillustration I made, because they don't let you take pictures inside juvenile detention buildings. I wanted to give you an idea of the beautiful reunions I witnessed when I recently spoke to dads about how to make reading time fun at the DYS Fatherhood Summit at Cuyahoga Hills. These young fathers touched my heart; I was inspired to see their joy when their kids entered the room. Their faces lit up! Thanks, Passages, Connecting Fathers & Families for inviting me to participate. And a special thank you to Greater Cleveland Community Credit Union for stepping up and generously donating 50 free books for these incarcerated dads. Your support means the world to me.