grandparents

Book Review: These Hands by Margaret H. Mason

| Tasha

thesehands

These Hands by Margaret H. Mason, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Joseph’s grandfather’s hands can still do so many amazing things.  He used to be able to tie knots very quickly, now he helps Joseph learn to tie his shoes.  He can play the piano.  He can show Joseph how to do a waterfall shuffle with cards.  He could pitch a curve ball in his youth, now he can teach Joseph to hit a line drive.  But there were things his hands couldn’t do when he was younger.  His hands were forbidden to touch the bread dough in the Wonder Bread factory.  His hands could touch the broom to sweep the floor, work the line, load the trucks, but not touch the bread.  So his hands helped with the protests and organizing, and now all colors of hands can touch the bread dough.  His hands can do anything in the world.

This is a powerful book that speaks of discrimination in a very tangible way that children will clearly understand.  Mason writes from the point of view of that grandfather speaking to Joseph.  The book has a clear point of view, a ringing tone, and a wonderfully light hand.  Looking at a grandfather through his hands makes him so human yet so amazing.  This focused approach makes the book even stronger.

Cooper’s art is stellar.  The illustrations have a softness that is beautiful, all hard edges softer and rounder.  The light in the art is also particularly well done with its warmth that stays consistent even during the dark times of the story.  The art shows such strength, such vivid storytelling.

Highly recommended, this is a picture book about discrimination and civil rights that will work very well with small children.  There’s plenty to discuss here in a classroom or in a living room.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas

| Tasha

Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas, Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne, illustrated by Mary Haverfield

Look at family through the eyes of a young girl who lives with her grandparents.  Nonnie, her grandmother, gives her hugs all the time.  Poppy snuggles in bed, watches TV with them.  They are a close-knit and loving family made up of two grandparents and a child.  The book oozes love and warmth.  It is filled with a strong sense of home, the sort of home that every child deserves and would adore living in. This loving picture book, written by a grandmother who takes care of her granddaughter will fill an important place in library collections and speaks with love of how well different types of families work.

I was very pleased to see a book on this subject, because so many children are being raised by their grandparents.  Then after reading it, I was thrilled once again to have found a book that so embraces a child and delights in the warm world it is creating.  So yes, this is a wonderful book on grandparents being parents but is also a book that children in any sort of family with relate to and enjoy.  Byrne’s use of repetition as a framework for the story works well, particularly because the repetition is about Nonnie cuddles.  Her depiction of a special family is enhanced by the soft watercolor illustrations that help depict the connections of the family members.

Highly recommended, this book is simply lovely and will fill an important niche in library collections.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Abbeville Press.

Grumpy Grandpa

| Tasha

Grumpy Grandpa by Heather Henson, illustrated by Ross MacDonald

A little boy talks about his grandpa who is always grumpy.  Every year he and his parents drive to spend two weeks on his grandpa’s farm.  The little boy has to be quiet and not disturb his grandpa.  He tries to stay out of grandpa’s way so that he isn’t yelled at like the TV or the dog, but it’s not so easy.  Every afternoon, after a nap, Grandpa leaves the farm alone.  The little boy wonders where he goes.  Then the next day, Grandpa takes the boy along.  They head to a boat on a pond with fishing poles.  Now he has to be really quiet and still.  Grumpy Grandpa just keeps getting grumpier.  The little boy decides to leave, forgetting he is in a boat.  Splash!  Now how will Grumpy Grandpa react to being tipped overboard?

So many picture books show grandparents as bread baking, snowy haired saints, but many children have grandparents who don’t naturally bond with young children.  The beauty of this picture book is that yes the grandfather is grumpy, but it turns out he has a great sense of humor and remembers being a boy himself.  Henson’s text is humorous and allows readers to see that Grandpa isn’t that grumpy even before the young boy understands it. 

MacDonald’s illustrations have a vintage feel.  Done in watercolor, they evoke picture books from the 50s. This works particularly well with the homey and timeless nature of the story.

As someone who had a rather grumpy grandma, I am happy to see a book that really shows what’s underneath the crusty exterior of some grandparents.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Kisses on the Wind

| Tasha

Kisses on the Wind by Lisa Moser, illustrated by Kathryn Brown

The covered wagon is being packed for the long trip to Oregon, but Lydia can’t imagine leaving her grandmother so far behind.  As her departure nears, Lydia and her grandmother walk together in the woods, float bark boats in the pond, and rest together in the long grass.  Grandma gives her a book filled with her stories to take along on the trip. They both quietly, solemnly, and beautifully say goodbye.

This is a picture book that will make your heart ache.  The gentle and prolonged farewell of these two people who obviously are kindred spirits is depicted with a real beauty and care.  Moser crafts a quiet story that is very moving.  Brown’s art matches the gentleness of the story perfectly with its muted colors and gentle lines.  The book never descends into maudlin emotionalism, in fact it is its inherent restraint that makes it work so well.  Bright-eyed Grandma, Lydia with her fly-away hair, and the natural setting all provide an antidote to excessive sweetness.

An ideal book for children who are moving, children whose extending family is moving away, or children of divorce.  It is a book that will work in many setting for many children, a book that really shows and feels the sadness of leaving someone behind.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.

Happy Belly, Happy Smile

| Tasha

Happy Belly, Happy Smile by Rachel Isadora

Every Friday night, Louie has dinner at his Grandpa Sam’s restaurant in Chinatown.  He watches the fish in the tank, visits with the chefs in the kitchen, and listens to the waiters calling to each other.  Then it is time to eat.  Louie and his grandfather use chopsticks to eat their rice, dumplings, egg rolls, and chow mein.  The dinner finishes with a fortune cookie.

Children of all races and ages will see some of their favorite things about eating out at a Chinese restaurant.  They will also be thrilled to glimpse the hidden, steamy world of the kitchen.  Isadora tells a simple story in only a few words on each page.  The book is very visual with her illustrations in collage and oils.  Her interesting use of lines and texture are most impressive when dinner is served.  The paper becomes mouthwateringly edible.

Recommended for story times on food, this book will have everyone sharing their own favorite Chinese meal.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by TheHappyNappyBookseller.

Homegrown House

| Tasha

 

Homegrown House by Janet Wong, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Her grandmother is 65-years-old but has only lived in two houses!  The little girl on the other hand has lived in three houses already.  Grandma says she is lucky, but the girl doesn’t think so.  While her parents want a house near the water or a home from the glossy magazines, she yearns for a home that feels like her grandmother’s does.  That has walls of different colors, crowded closets, lavender drying in the garage.  With their next house, she has figured out exactly what to do, creating a place that really feels like home.

This book explores moving and what makes a house a home through poetry that is delightfully down-to-earth.  In her stanzas, Wong reveals so much about family, home and expectations in only a few words.  She also has a feel for simple pleasures and small details, that really ground the poetry and make it powerful.  Paired with Lewis’ watercolor illustrations, the poetry is brought further to life.  Lewis depicts the simple country world with a warm and natural feeling. 

Highly recommended for all library collections as families begin to move more and more and children seek their own definitions of home that they can move with them.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.