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IS GRANDPA IN HEAVEN FOREVER?

Name: IS GRANDPA IN HEAVEN FOREVER?
Author: Kate Mahrholz
ISBN: 978-1-4575-5224-3

written and illustrated by Kate Mahrholz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 16, 2016

A useful work for Christians addressing genuine questions from youngsters learning about death for the first time.

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A young boy innocently asks questions about what happens after his grandfather dies in this faith-based, kid’s-eye-view debut book.

Jaxon doesn’t understand why Mommy is crying; he knows that when he and his parents and little sister sit around the kitchen table together, he feels safe. When Mommy explains that Grandpa went to heaven, Jaxon isn’t sure what that means. “But Mommy, I will miss Grandpa. When can I see him again?” he asks. As Jaxon processes what it means to lose his grandfather, his mother, quietly dealing with her own grief, explains the situation the best that she can, teaching Jaxon and his sister that Grandpa has become their Guardian Angel, and that he’s gone to keep God company. In heaven, Grandpa isn’t sick anymore. But it takes some time for Jaxon to understand this. He wants to know when Grandpa will return to his house, and when he’ll get his things back. When Mommy explains that heaven has everything that Grandpa needs, Jaxon wants to know if they have pizza in that celestial realm, or TV, or books. Jaxon wonders whether Grandpa will miss his dog, who now lives with Grandma Dee. Later, after the funeral, which Jaxon only understands as “church was kind of boring,” the boy desires to visit Grandpa in heaven, and wants to know how Grandpa got there without driving his Jeep. Mommy is finally able to explain that Grandpa is still in Jaxon’s memories and dreams, and that Grandpa will watch Jaxon grow from heaven. Full of beautifully painted illustrations of a middle-class Caucasian family, Mahrholz’s tale and Jaxon’s very realistic questions should offer comfort to young readers from similarly Christian families. Adults may wonder why the idea of death is so thoroughly skirted—Mommy explains that angels took Grandpa, but never mentions that his body was left behind, for example—and some may question the doctrine of the Guardian Angels or the idea that “we can say our prayers to God and to Grandpa every night.” Ultimately, the volume will likely appeal to families with similar worldviews.

A useful work for Christians addressing genuine questions from youngsters learning about death for the first time.

Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4575-5224-3

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dog Ear

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2017

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011

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Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ULTRABOT'S FIRST PLAYDATE
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

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KID AMAZING VS. THE BLOB
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYBODY SLEEPS (BUT NOT FRED)
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

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ABIYOYO RETURNS

by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by Michael Hays ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001

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The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)