by Anne-Laure Fournier le Ray & illustrated by Roser Capdevila ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2003
Children and grandparents both get input about their proper respective roles in this small French import. In fine-lined vignettes, several per page, Capdevila portrays a single family with a few extras trotted in now and then, demonstrating particular aspects or variations of the grandparent/grandchild relationship. Fournier le Ray explains in brief captions and headers that some grandparents are always busy, while others have a little free time, and some seem to have an endless quantity; some “are always there to make us feel better,” but some tire easily, while others go on and on, and so forth. In sum, “grandparents are important! It’s because of them that we get together as a family. It’s because of them that we are a family!” Can’t argue with that. Particularly useful for clueless elders and for children who are a little hazy on family ties beyond those of sibs and parents; this makes an upbeat alternative to such thematic cousins as Shelly Rotner’s Lots of Grandparents (2001), or Margaret Wild’s Our Granny (1994). (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 1-929132-46-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003
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by Floyd Cooper ; illustrated by Floyd Cooper ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2013
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson.
After a visit, an African-American grandfather and grandson say farewell under a big yellow moon. Granpa tells Max it is the same moon he will see when he gets home.
This gently told story uses Max’s fascination with the moon’s ability to “tag along” where his family’s car goes as a metaphor for his grandfather’s constant love. Separating the two relatives is “a swervy-curvy road” that travels up and down hills, over a bridge, “past a field of sleeping cows,” around a small town and through a tunnel. No matter where Max travels, the moon is always there, waiting around a curve or peeking through the trees. But then “[d]ark clouds tumbled across the night sky.” No stars, no nightingales and no moon are to be found. Max frets: “Granpa said it would always shine for me.” Disappointed, Max climbs into bed, missing both the moon and his granpa. In a dramatic double-page spread, readers see Max’s excitement as “[s]lowly, very slowly, Max’s bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow.” Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape—sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle’s mirror—and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story’s lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece.
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-23342-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
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by Margarita Engle ; illustrated by Sara Palacios ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2021
A joyful celebration of Cuban tradition and family ties.
A young Cuban American child visits Abuelo in Cuba and helps him sell fruit in the street.
As Abuelo pushes a cart laden with fruit, they sing out the names of the fruit in the cart: “mango, limón, coco, melón, / naranja, toronja, plátano, piña.” Their happy voices reach far, inviting people to come and purchase. Other street vendors join in, singing out their own wares. The louder they call out, the louder Abuelo must sing. Palacios’ vibrant illustrations beautifully capture the joy and liveliness of the event. The child tells readers, “my favorite visits…are on the eve of el año nuevo” when people buy 12 grapes and make a wish, one for each month of the new year. This child’s wish, reflecting the author’s own leitmotif, is for friendship between the two countries and a time when families on both sides of the narrow strip of ocean that separates them can freely visit. In the author’s note, Engle gives some details on the travel restrictions that keep families apart as well as explaining her choice to use Spanglish in the text. Readers also learn a little more about Cuban street vendors—pregoneros—and the tradition of having grapes on New Year’s Eve. The main character has exuberant wavy black hair and brown skin like Abuelo’s; other characters reflect Cuba’s racial diversity. The story publishes simultaneously in Spanish, with a translation by Alexis Romay. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A joyful celebration of Cuban tradition and family ties. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4489-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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