Grandpa Green is a beautifully gentle picture book. Quietly unassuming, this one is reminiscent of A Sick Day For Amos McGee in its gentle pace yet effective content – I loved it!
The story of Grandpa Green’s life is told by his “great-grandkid”
“He was born a really long time ago,”
He tells of quirky details from his childhood … the chickenpox in fourth grade, life on a farm, the discovery of fantastic stories, all aptly accompanied by an abundance of beautiful illustrations … of topiaries!! Oh yes, you may get green finger envy from this one. Children delight in spotting the trees shaped in to images reflecting the content of the story – beautiful, whimsical and green of course!
I must admit I feared the worst as I approached the ending of the book, but I needn’t of worried! Grandpa Green is still alive and well, retaining his memories in the eclectic topiary garden for those times when his own memory fails him …
“the garden remembers for him.”
Loved the tongue in cheek humour re Grandpa’s marriage being quarrel free. Grandpa Green himself makes a visual appearance towards the end of the book, the pencil drawing is full of character and fondness. A final burst comes as you unfold the final double pages to reveal a topiary frenzy filled with everything from the Eiffel Tower to peacocks … and of course grandpa and our narrator immersed in the middle.
Brief, single sentences on each page make this a great one for the younger age group. for the slightly older it is a perfect one for opening a discussion on family history.
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