Grandad Bill's Song [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

After Grandad Bill dies, everyone in the family remembers him differently. But reminiscences do nothing to help a young boy cope with his loss, until he recalls his own feelings on the day his grandfather died--and his memories of a best friend who was much beloved indeed. Full color Ages 4-8. Pub: 1/98. .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Verse (often verging on doggerel) conveys this forced narrative about a boy who asks members of his family, "What did you do on the day Grandad died?" Mama, for example, responds, "I looked in the mirror, and then, son, I lied. / I said to myself that my daddy's not dead. / But the mirror looked back at me, shaking its head." Meanwhile, the boy's grandmother remembers "your grandaddy Billy" as a young sailor, an uncle recalls a strong father, a great-aunt a baby brother. When the boy's father turns the question on the boy himself, the boy's anger at the loss emerges: "So you were mad," says the father; "I should have been sad," his son responds. The resonance of, for example, When I Die, Will I Get Better? is absent here, with almost saccharine formulas in the place of emotional truths. The elegiac tone lightens a bit in Mathis's full-color spreads, which show a memory in the making. These are interspersed with the family-album pen-and-ink repros on sad tan pages. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A story of a young boy who is grieving for his recently deceased grandfather. "'Grandma, what did you do on the day Grandad died?'/'I sat on my porch rocker, child, and I cried./I looked at the ocean all covered with foam/and thought of my handsome young sailor gone home.'" And so continues the dialogue between Jon and various members of his family-his uncle, his mom, his great aunt, and others, as they express their sadness and love for Grandad in short, eloquent phrases. Finally, Jon's father asks him to express his own feelings, and the boy admits that the way he felt was neither "nice" nor "good"-he felt "mad." His dad helps him come to terms with his anger and to realize that grief encompasses many emotions and takes time to resolve itself. Mathis uses black-and-white drawings on tan paper to illustrate Jon's conversations with his family and snapshots of Grandad Bill. Double-page, full-color, pastel illustrations represent each person's memories of the past. Facial expressions are specific and suggestive of portrait studies. The rhyming text flows smoothly; however, if children are reading the book on their own, they may have trouble distinguishing who is speaking-Jon's words are in roman type, while the others' are in italics. Despite this drawback, the book could be effectively used to lead into a discussion of death.
Alexandra Marris, Rochester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (February 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698116143
• ISBN-13: 978-0698116146
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,552,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars poignant look at the loss of a grandfather, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Grandad Bill's Song (Hardcover)

This book was a beautifully written book and one that has touched my life and that of my children, and the rest of my family. The author focuses on the different people that this man had related to and their memory of him when he was gone. I lost my grandfather 12 years ago and this book gave me the snapshot of him in all of the different eyes of people in my family. I also shared this book with a young girl who had lost her father to cancer and I believe it prompted her to make snapshots of her father and that his memory would live with her forever. A wonderful book to cherish forever.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandad Bill's Song, July 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Grandad Bill's Song (Paperback)

This is an excellent book The child in the story had many questions on how people felt when his grandfather died. It gently discussed the feelings of sadness and the memories that keep the person alive within us. It raised the childs awareness that his grandfather lived an entire lifetime that included a childhood, young adulthood through his role as a grandad. It discussed how one person, Grandad's son, felt that he needed to be the "strong one." He felt the pressure of having to take charge of the funeral arrangements, thus having to suppress his own feelings of grief and sadness. He felt the need to support the family and friends around him. The child then expressed the feelings that he had at the time of the death which included anger and sadness. This book addresses the wide range of feeling experienced when a loved one dies. The feelings range from denial to sadness to anger. The sharing of all the memories that many people held really honors the grandfathers life. It shows a life well lived and that Grandad was well loved. The illustrations were wonderful, soft, tender, gentle. This book is well written, almost a quiet musical feel. It is an excellent resourse for those trying to prepare children and adults alike, for the feelings that will be experienced by the loss of a loved one. It is an excellent book to introduce the concept of loss.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great support for children to learn about death, March 3, 2011

By 

Yenrac - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grandad Bill's Song (Paperback)

This story will help a child who is grieving over the loss of a grandparent or even another family member. Also good to use as one of the books to help teach children about grief, loss and death - something we do not do too often in this culture.