GO, GRANDPA, GO!

A high-energy board book celebrates intergenerational relationships.

Brief rhymes and alliteration describe what grandpas do. Young children will quickly join in on the refrain, “Go, Grandpa, go!” The grandpas are notably diverse, with a range of skin tones, hair colors, clothing, and ages represented. Four of the grandpas and one of the children wear glasses. One of the grandpas is bald; three have beards; one sports a gray mustache. The children are equally representative, with one in a wheelchair. A child in a dress plays with a firetruck; another wears both a baseball cap and bumblebee wings. A companion volume, Go, Grandma, Go! makes similar sensitive choices. A grandma shops for groceries, but so does a grandpa. If anything, the grandmas’ activities are more strenuous than their counterparts’, including sliding down a slide, sledding, surfing, and hiking. The grandpas’ most daring activities are examining a beehive (inaccurately represented) and stomping in a mud puddle. Busy illustrations against clean backgrounds fill in details and give youngsters plenty to talk about, but that refrain reminds them to turn the page. Quiet snuggle time brings a satisfying end to each book. Are two separate titles really needed? Yes—to give equal attention to both grandpas and grandmas and to serve families whose grandparents don’t come in pairs.

No ageist stereotypes here! These active grandparents are indeed on the go.