Poppy's Chair [Paperback]

Karen Hesse (Author), Kay Life (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Leah visits her grandparents every summer, but this year is different. Her grandfather has passed away. Leah and Gramm do the things they always do, but Leah doesn't talk about Poppy - she can't even sit in his chair. Finally, after a long talk with Gramm, Leah is able to express her fears about death, to think about Poppy, and to feel happy about her memories.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Although Leah enjoys shopping and cooking with her grandmother the way she always has, the child is afraid to look at her recently deceased grandfather's picture or sit in his chair. That night, she runs to her grandmother and cries, ". . . Gramm, I don't want you to die!" The woman reassures her that she will live a long life, but also acknowledges her granddaughter's feelings. Leah's difficulty in facing her loss and feelings of relief at finally talking about it ring true, and the reassuring ending (she falls asleep in Gramm's bed, "halfway between Gramm's warmth and Poppy's smile") is satisfying. Pastel drawings in shades of pink and blue are realistic and warm, although the figures are stiffly posed. Young children may be confused at first, since the fact that Leah's grandfather has died is not mentioned until halfway through the story. The situation is reminiscent of Mavis Jukes's Blackberries in the Dark (Knopf, 1993) and joins Aliki's The Two of Them (Greenwillow, 1979) and Charlotte Zolotow's My Grandson Lew (HarperCollins, 1974) on the ever-growing shelf of children's books discussing the death of a grandparent. --Caroline Parr, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Fredericksburg, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439161304
• ISBN-13: 978-0439161305
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,431 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive look at children's fears about death, May 22, 2000

By 

K.M.Montgomery (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poppy's Chair (Turtleback)

In this picture book Hesse explores death from a children's perspective. When Leah goes to visit her grandparents for the first time since her grandfather's death she feels incredibly sad without him. Gramma and Leah do their traditional things together but it is different without Poppy. Finally Leah and Gramma talk about it and she admits her fears about Gramma dying too. Leah learns from her grandmother that she can still live happily without Poppy and Leah falls asleep in Gramm's bed, with Gramm on one side of her and a picture of Poppy looking down on her from the other. This story is clear about loss and healing from losses and may help children understand their own grief.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Poppy's Chair, December 29, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Poppy's Chair (Paperback)

My Poppy died when I was seven. I bought this book for my grandma. She loves it. Very emotional, but good.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poppy's Chair, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Poppy's Chair (Library Binding)

its a great book to read although it's a heavy book,meaning it;s very depressing but fun to read I recomend any of Karen hesse books becuase shes a great Auther and my favorite auther also