Grandpa's Face [Hardcover]

Eloise Greenfield (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Seeing her beloved grandfather making a mean face while he rehearses for one of his plays, Tamika becomes afraid that someday she will lose his love and he will make that mean face at her.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To Tamika, her grandfather's face tells her everything about him, changing from "glad to worried to funny to sad." But one day, when Tamika watches her grandfather practicing lines for a play, she sees his face change into a face she had never seen beforea mean, cold, angry face that scares her; she is afraid that he will look at her like that. Naughty as can be, Tamika tests the limits of her grandfather's patience, but still that face does not appear. When he finds out why Tamika has misbehaved, her grandfather explains that the face she saw was just a pretend face. With eloquence and a penetrating glimpse of the fears of children, Greenfield has written a moving story about the reliability of love. Cooper, in his first picture book, creates family scenes of extraordinary illumination. He reinforces in the pictures the feelings of warmth and affection that exists between generations. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 Muted realistic paintings complement this story of Tamika, a young girl who grows emotionally through love. Tamika loves her Grandpa, and at the theater she watches him turn ``into another person.'' While he is practicing in a mirror, however, she sees a part of his personality that she does not understand, and it frightens her. ``It was a hard face. . . . It was a face that could never love her or anyone.'' These are powerful words that evoke an unforgettable and horrible visual image, and Tamika acts out her inner turmoil at a catastrophic family dinner scene. Striking, in text and illustration, is the moment when Grandpa catches up with Tamika, and gently all is resolved. Greenfield's other books, Grandmama's Joy (Philomel, 1980) and Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems (Crowell, 1978), like the works of Ezra Jack Keats, Sharon Bell Mathis, Jeannette Caines, and Charlotte Zolotow, are strong statements about love. The black characters in Grandpa's Face do not serve any didactic purpose; they simply love and grow. The carefully chosen combination of visual details and large abstract areas support the notion that love is not always clearly definable. It is a rich life for Tamika and for those who experience and grow, and these are rich visual images to support that belief. Gratia Banta, Germantown Public Library, Dayton, Ohio
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (November 10, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399215255
• ISBN-13: 978-0399215254
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,428,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Grandpa's Face, April 3, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Grandpa's Face (Paperback)

Grandpa's Face
By: Eloise Greenfield and Illustrations By: Floyd Cooper

This book is a special book for all ages, whether you're a small child or a grown adult, you will love this book.
The book is about a young girl named Tamika and her loving grandfather. Tamika and her grandpa love each other very much, and they spend tons of time together. They would go on "talk-walks" and laugh together all the time. Since Grandpa is an actor she attends all his plays with her family and loves watching his different facial expressions. One day as she goes into his room to ask him to tell her a story, she she's him practicing for another play with his script open and looking in the mirror. He says a couple a lines and then makes a face Tamika has never seen before. His face looks angry and like it could never love. At dinner time Tamika tries to do all the things that would make grandpa angry to see if he would do that awful face. She even spills her drink all over him! Grandpa decides it is time for a talk.
This book is written in second-person. "Sometimes Tamika and Grandpa would go out together, just the two of them."
This book is good for ages 8 and up. But that's just pretending Tamika." It can be read to younger children too.
There are four main characters mentioned in this book. "Tamika loved her Grandpa" and "They would leave Daddy and Mommy at home and go for a walk." The characters were Tamika, Grandpa, Daddy, and Mommy.
This book is great to read! Kids and adults alike will enjoy this wonderful story. You have to read this magnificent book!

11 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Storytelling for Children, June 29, 2000

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grandpa's Face (Hardcover)

This is a very poignant tale of which all children can relate.

Tamika appears to be around six years of age. That is a time when children are so impressionable. That which is trivial to an adult is of great importance to child; therefore, the story has a relevancy for all who care about and deal with children.

Tamika reminds me so much of my niece who really adores her grandfather, my dad. As I turned the pages, reading the text and admiring the beautiful illustrations, I could only imagine how my niece would react to the unfolding events. This is a sign that the book can have meaning for all.

Miss Greenfield has used clear vocabulary that successfully tells her story to the young reader.

The book comes highly recommended!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars piece of crap, November 23, 2010

By 

The Real "Rich Boy" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandpa's Face (Paperback)

i had to read it for my childhood education class. moronic lesson and writing. This book will make a child a moron and make him or her hate books, because this one is pure garbage