Skip to main content

Grandpa Green

Grandpa Green
By Lane Smith
Roaring Brook Press, 2011. Unpaged. Picture book.

A young boy chronicles his grandfather's life as all the aspects are displayed through a beautiful topiary garden. The garden shows how his grandfather grew up on a farm, how he met his wife, and follows him through the war he fought in.

Lane Smith has a huge winner here. I've been a long-time fan of his since reading The Happy Hocky Family and have loved all his books I've read since. Not only is this book gorgeously, delicately illustrated--it's written with great poignancy and love. There are a few sly moments in the story, but mostly it's very tenderly written. The aspect of family history is made significant by the child's love for his grandpa. Smith's style in this book is a little reminiscent of the illustrations by N.M. Bodecker (Half-Magic series) and are just fantastic--creative genius and great ability combine to make standout artwork. I truly hope it wins the Caldecott. This is one you should not miss.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

From Story Time: The Letter "V"

  Preschool Time Harold Finds a Voice By Courtney Dicmas Auburn, ME: Child's Play Inc., 2013. Picture Book. Harold is an amazing mimic, and can imitate the sound of everything in his home. Tired of repeating the same old noises, he yearns to find out what other voices there are in the big, wide world. But what happens when he suddenly realizes that he doesn't yet have a voice of his own? --Editor Preschool Time Don't Blow Your Top! Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Abhi Alwar New York: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2023. Picture Book. Big Volcano and Little Volcano live side by side in paradise, but when a silly bird drops a coconut (or two) on Little Volcano's crater he blows his top. --Editor Toddler Time Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire By Flavia Z. Drago Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Vlad is a vampire with the misfortune of having rosy cheeks that--gasp!--make him look abysmally alive. But being the fabulous vampire t

Review: The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn By Shawn Harris New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Picture book. Do not be fooled into thinking this is like other unicorn books you have read, this one is much better. The teeny-weeny unicorn is truly teeny-weeny -- far and away the smallest member of his unicorn family. His older (much bigger) siblings, Fancy Annie and Prince Butterscotch, pick on him constantly. They use him as a pawn when they play chess, they refuse to let him jump into their castle's moat, and they warn him he'll get lost in the lawn. Fed up with being picked on, he runs away and does, indeed, get lost in the lawn. He quickly learns about perspective when an even teenier-weenier gnome chastises the teeny-weeny unicorn for stepping on and crushing his car. Eager to make this right, and also a little proud of his size, the unicorn and gnome gallop back to the castle to make amends. In the end, the teeny-weeny unicorn stands a little bit taller with his new perspective. A wholly origina

From Story Time: The Letter "T"

  Preschool Time  Never Show a T-Rex a Book Written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande Illustrated by Diane Ewen Tulsa: Kane Miller, a division of EDC Publishing, 2021. Picture Book. Never ever show a T-Rex a book! Can you imagine what might happen if you did? A laugh-out-loud story that's brimming with imagination, mayhem, and a celebration of the power of books. --Editor Preschool Time Turtle in a Tree By Neesha Hudson New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book. Two dogs learn the importance of listening to others when they disagree over what they see in a tree. --Editor Toddler Time The Fastest Tortoise in Town Written by Howard Calvert Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise, has entered a road race, but what was she thinking? With only a week to go before the big day, she worries that she doesn't stand a chance against the other animals competing. Barbara's friend and owner, Lorra