Remembering Grandpa [Hardcover]

Uma Krishnaswami (Author), Layne Johnson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Daysha's grandma has come down with a bad case of sadness. Grandpa has been gone for over a year. Sad isn't how Daysha remembers Grandpa, so she sets out to collect all the things that would bring happy memories. She finds a button that fell off Grandpa's coat. She gathers flowers from the field where she and Grandpa liked to chase butterflies. She finds Grandpa's old guitar. She places all of the objects near the back porch of her grandma's house. As Daysha had hoped, they bring back happy memories. Grandma agrees that this is the best way to remember Grandpa. Uma Krishnaswami's simple and heartfelt story is illustrated with loving care by Layne Johnson.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—In this beautiful story of remembrance, Daysha strives to ease her grandmother's grief a year after Grandpa's death. The youngster revisits places they shared and finds a button from his coat, flowers and stones, and other items that remind her of him. She shows them to her grandmother, prompting tears and embraces. Then, Grandma takes her out for ice cream, just like Grandpa used to do. Daysha realizes "that Grandma's sadness didn't really need a cure—just hugs, and the right kind of remembering." Johnson's oil paintings are set in the sunny springtime of the American Southwest, with misty, golden skies and vistas of rocks and wildflowers. Unfortunately, the decision to depict the characters as rabbits rather than people diminishes the impact of this heartfelt tale. Nevertheless, it's a worthy addition to collections on grief.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Daysha's grandfather has been gone a year when her grandma comes down with "a bad case of sadness." Sad isn't how the little bunny girl thinks of her grandfather, so she decides to go out and find some happy memories. Where he used to play his guitar, she finds an old button from his coat. Where they used to take walks, she gathers flowers and rocks. Feathers from a bird, a branch with berries--Daysha piles the items in her wagon and brings them to Grandma, who thanks her for finding the very nicest way to remember Grandpa. One could argue that human characters would have been more effective than rabbits for this sensitive story, but for the most part, Daysha makes for a happy, hopeful heroine (except for one close-up where she looks like she jumped off an Easter greeting card). The attractive artwork, done in oils, sparkles with sunlight and glows at sunset. A good lead-in to discussions about remembering those who have gone. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590784243
• ISBN-13: 978-1590784242
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,828,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)