GRANDPA’S ANGEL

From his hospital bed, an elderly man recounts his life story to his young grandson in this poignant narrative, first published in Germany. Nearing the end of his life, the man reviews all his narrow escapes from danger and the many hardships of his life, including his childhood and young adult years during WWII; his struggles for survival during the postwar period; and more pleasant times as a grandfather enjoying his little grandson. Though the man is not aware of his protector, each illustration shows his guardian angel shielding him from everything, often in amusing ways (for example, holding back a shark underwater or catching a falling brick just in time). Bauer’s spare illustrations in ink and gouache provide a humorous but understated accompaniment to her similarly understated text. The angel is a grandmotherly figure painted in pale blue, who smiles and frowns and suffers along with her charge, and in the end, leaves the elderly man to begin protecting his grandson as his touching story concludes on a hopeful note. (Picture book. 5-10)