Grandma's Gone to Live in the Stars (Concept Books (Albert Whitman)) [Library Binding]

Max Haynes (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Concept Books (Albert Whitman)

This simple, tender story is about the death of a beloved grandmother. But the story is told by Grandma herself, as she peacefully says goodbye to her sleeping children and grandchildren and then, in turn, to all the earthly things she has loved and rises to her new home—in the stars. Serene and beautiful, this book is for all children and their families, regardless of religious beliefs. It's assurance that love remains forever will be inexpressibly comforting to both children and adults who grieve.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Just as the metaphorical title states, Grandma has died. This serene and comforting picture book begins simply with "I was so sick. So sick that I died. Now I feel-wonderful." The typeface changes, the grandmother is depicted as if through a whitewash over full-color watercolors saying good-bye to each member of the sleeping family and animals she has loved; good-bye to the garden, town, and earth to float up to the stars where she presumably glows in the evening sky. Square paintings raggedly framed on full-bled lavender spreads soften the images that grow bigger as Grandma takes her leave to the final double-page spread where the accepting family looks to the stars. Like Mordicai Gerstein's The Mountains of Tibet (HarperCollins, 1989), the story provides a way of looking at death as a passage and an afterlife as an extension of a full and loving life, a comforting view to grieving families who seek solace in a story or who wish to open a dialogue about death.
Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3-7. Every adult who turns to books to help children cope with death is looking for something different: the one volume that represents the individual's own beliefs, emotions, and aesthetics. Although no single selection can satisfy everyone, this unusual picture book will be a comforting and even moving choice for many children and adults. Grandma, who narrates the book, dies on the first page. The opening text appears in a sage green that looks fittingly wan against the lavender background: "I was so sick. So sick that I died. Now I feel . . . ." After the elision, the sentence finishes in white, which shines robustly from the same background: "wonderful. And now it's time to say goodbye." Grandmother seems to radiate light as she stops to say goodbye to her sleeping family members, the dog, the cat, the pictures she's painted, and (one last time) the children, before walking through the garden and rising over the town, above the earth, and into the stars. The tone of the book is matter-of-fact, the text is short and simple, and the artwork is luminous. A solid black line defines the figures and objects in the illustrations, except the form of the grandmother, which is drawn with a multicolored line reminiscent of crayon-resist art. Done on computer, the artwork creates surprisingly radiant effects on the page, while reflecting the understated, affectionate tone of the text. The illustrations convey not just the fact of death, but the mystery of it, the love that transcends it, and the wonder of it all. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807530263
• ISBN-13: 978-0807530269
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,379,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've been waiting for this book for a long time, December 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Grandma's Gone to Live in the Stars (Concept Books (Albert Whitman)) (Library Binding)

Some years ago, during a meeting of a Children's Book Illustrators' Guild, Max Haynes passed around the storyboards for this wonderful book. It was so touching that many of us had a hard time holding back tears. I remember he was concerned that the topic of death might make it hard to find a publisher for this book. 8 or 9 years later, it has finally seen print.

No surprise to me it's been so well rated. I'll be buying a few copies for family and friends.

Thanks, Max... this book will give words to a lot of families who don't know what to say to young kids after the death of a loved one, and is going to be a treasured favorite for many. I'm so glad you kept with this book and saw that it was published. I've been watching for it for a long time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A soulful book., May 3, 2002

By 

Mario De Carolis (Traverse City, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandma's Gone to Live in the Stars (Concept Books (Albert Whitman)) (Library Binding)

...When my mother-in-law goes to live in the stars soon, I will read this to my precious 3 year old Sofia without reservation. Thanks Max .. such a beautiful book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect for 3 and 4 year olds, November 28, 2004

By 

An Amazon customer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandma's Gone to Live in the Stars (Concept Books (Albert Whitman)) (Library Binding)

A wonderful, beautiful book that is suitable for preschool age children, even if they don't seem to understand at the time. Here's my story:

The day after my mother died, I read this book to my 3.5 year old son and told him that the grandma in the book is like Grandma Bertha. He was very quiet afterwards and did not ask any questions.

Two weeks later, we were reading a book about outer space, and my son pointed to a picture of deep space outside of our solar system and said, "there's where Granma is."

So even if you think your preschooler is too young to understand, this book does a lot to help them cope with the death of a grandmother.