Showing posts with label grandparents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grandparents. Show all posts
Jan 26, 2019
May 1, 2017
Jan 7, 2017
May 4, 2016
May 1, 2016
Apr 1, 2016
Oct 1, 2015
Sunny side up - Jennifer Holm
Summary: "From the groundbreaking and award-winning sister-brother team behind Babymouse comes a middle-grade, graphic-novel memoir. Following the lives of kids whose older brother's delinquent behavior has thrown their family into chaos, 'Sunny Side Up' is at once a compelling 'problem' story and a love letter to the comic books that help the protagonist make sense of her world" -- provided by publisher.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 4–6—The Holm siblings, of "Babymouse" and "Squish" (both Random) fame, and colorist Pien, of American Born Chinese fame (First Second, 2008), have created a must-have graphic novel based on true events from the Holms' childhood. The year is 1976, and Sunny Lewin will be spending the summer with her grandfather in Florida. Artistic details in the panels, such as the style of the clothes and the cars, give readers a good sense of the time period. Sunny arrives in Florida feeling hopeful that it will be an exciting summer, but her enthusiasm quickly fades when she realizes that she has to sleep on a squeaky sofa bed and her grandfather is too busy dragging her on boring errands to take her to Disney World. Sunny's days start to look up when she befriends a boy from the neighborhood; together, they read superhero comic books and find lost golf balls and missing cats for reward money. Overshadowing Sunny's summertime adventures are events from the past year that have led to her last-minute Florida trip. She loves her older brother, but when he takes drugs, he makes poor choices and unintentionally hurts her. Sunny feels confused and responsible for her brother's erratic behavior. This title sensitively portrays how drug abuse affects loved ones through visual imagery and realistic dialogue. VERDICT A humorous yet emotional story with a memorable protagonist and detailed full-color art that make this a perfect choice for fans of Raina Telgemeier.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ
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Mar 11, 2015
Lulu and the cat in the bag - Hilary McKay
Summary: "When a mysterious bag is left on Lulu's doorstep, the last thing her grandmother expects to be in it is a cat--a huge, neon orange cat. But Lulu knows this cat doesn't mean any harm and in fact it needs a lovely new home"-- Provided by publisher.
Booklist Reviews
When an enormous orange cat is left in a bag on Lulu's doorstep, she and her cousin Mellie are awestruck, while their grandmother Nan is alarmed and irritated. But just as Lulu knows how to reassure the wary newcomer, she also understands that Nan needs time to warm up to the cat. From Lulu's independent (not to say disobedient) streak to Nan's ability to change her mind, McKay brings the characters to life in scenes full of warmth, wit, and perception. Lamont's lively drawings with gray washes illustrate the story. An appealing beginning chapter book from the excellent Lulu series. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.
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Aug 1, 2014
The granny alphabet - Tim Walker
Summary: "Artist-photographer Tim Walker has won a cult following for his flamboyant, lavishly staged, and surrealist fashion photography. Now he brings his unique brand of very British fantasia to a subject close to all our hearts: grandmothers. The first volume of this very special twinset offers a collection of characterful photographs of grannies and the things nearest to each of them, arranged alphabetically and accompanied by short, gently humorous verses by Kit Hesketh-Harvey. The second volume is delightfully populated with Lawrence Mynott's drawings of lively old ladies. Spirited, stylish, sweet - here are granny archetypes of every stripe."--from W.W. Norton.
Library Journal Reviews
A delightful "twin set" of two complementary alphabet books, this title consists of one volume of photographs of actual grannies, or "little old ladies who live down the lane," as Walker phrases it, and a second volume of illustrations. Short verses (by Hesketh-Harvey) accompany each photograph, and together they offer an implicit exhortation to appreciate independence and mobility while one has them. Each photograph clearly broadcasts the dignity of its subject, a counterpoint to the frequent indignities of growing old in modern society. Mynott's illustrated volume is a more traditional alphabet book but one not written with children in mind. The illustrations and text won't necessarily resonate with very young readers (but surely will trigger chuckles with adult ones), though the young crowd might giggle at the antics of the cats and tiny dogs in the illustrations. Mynott signs off with an illustration of "the revenge of Granny Smith," which tidily sums up both the sass, sweetness, and humor of this offering. VERDICT A playful look at female aging and frailty, if these topics can be said to be lighthearted.—Rachael Dreyer, American Heritage Ctr., Laramie, WY
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Jun 1, 2014
Hidden - Loïc Dauvillier
Summary: "A grandmother shares the story of her experiences in WWII with her grandchild in this graphic novel for young readers"-- Provided by publisher.
Booklist Reviews
Worried that her grandmother has had a nightmare, a young girl offers to listen to the story, hoping to ease her grandmother's mind. And for the first time since her own childhood, the grandmother opens up about her life during WWII, the star she had to wear, the disappearance of her parents, and being sent to the country where she had to lie about her name and her beliefs. Every year, more stories set during the Holocaust are released, many for children, and this one is particularly well done. Dauvillier doesn't sugarcoat the horrors of the Holocaust; instead, he shares them from the perspective of a girl young enough to not quite understand the true scope of the atrocities. Set in occupied France, the story told is honest and direct, and each scene is revealed with care. The frankness of the storytelling is tempered by appealing cartoonlike illustrations that complement the story and add a layer of emotion not found in the narration. A Holocaust experience told as a bedtime story? It sounds crazy, but here it works. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
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Apr 1, 2012
Some assembly required - Anne Lamott
Summary: The author and her son chronicle his first year as a teenage father and her journey as a mother and new grandmother, describing their respective experiences with changing roles, the baby's mother, and poignant family losses.
Booklist Reviews
Lamott burst onto the literary scene in 1993 with Operating Instructions, her achingly honest account of her son Sam's first year of life, endearing herself to single mothers, parents, and even nonparents. She is set to do the same thing now for grandparenthood, as she and Sam explore their first year with Sam's son, Jax. When Sam announced that he and recent girlfriend Amy were about to become parents, Lamott reacted as only Lamott could, with a joyful "Oh, yes!" followed by a fearful "Oh, no!" After all, at fiftysomething, she was too young to be a grandmother, and at 19, Sam was too young to be a father. But tell all that to Jax, who is, of course, the Perfect Baby. That his parents' relationship is less so is a source of constant consternation for Lamott, who tries to fix things in her own inimitable and irritating way. Funny, frantic, and frustrating, Lamott enthusiastically embraces this new chapter in her life, learning that she is a wiser grandparent than parent who, nevertheless, managed to produce one pretty remarkable son. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-selling Lamott will delight her avid fans and attract new readers among fellow grandparents as she goes on a national tour and makes media appearances. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.
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Mar 2, 2011
City of thieves: a novel - David Benioff
Summary: A writer visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. His grandmother won't talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to survive against desperate odds.
Booklist Reviews
In 1941, the Germans circled Leningrad, starving its remaining citizens. His mother and sister evacuated, 17-year-old Lev Beniov remained, heeding the call for every able-bodied man to come to the defense of his country. After being caught out after curfew, Lev is thrown in the Crosses, the notorious prison, and while waiting for what he assumes will be an inglorious end, a summary execution at dawn, he is joined by the gregarious, indefatigable, and literature-spouting soldier, Kolya, imprisoned for desertion. When their lives are spared, they are assigned the impossible task of acquiring a dozen eggs for the wedding of a colonel's daughter, a task that takes them into the company of cannibals and Einsatzgruppen, dreaded Nazi death squads. A high-spirited adventure, Benioff's second novel (following the 2001 debut, The 25th Hour), ostensibly an account of the author's grandfather—a quiet immigrant who sold his real-estate business and retired to Florida with his wife—takes more than a little poetic license. When Benioff tells his grandfather that a few things don't make sense in the narrative, his reply: "You're a writer. Make it up." Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.
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Jan 4, 2010
Making toast - Roger Rosenblatt
Summary: Describes how, after their adult daughter's sudden death, the author and his wife moved in with their son-in-law and three grandchildren, quickly becoming reaccustomed to the world of small children and helping the family grieve and get on with life. - (Baker & Taylor)
Booklist Reviews
When their daughter, Amy, died, Rosenblatt and his wife virtually moved in with their son-in-law and three grandchildren, all trying valiantly to cope with the death of a loving young woman and doctor felled by an asymptomatic heart condition. The Rosenblatts plunged themselves into the lives of Harris, six-year-old Jessica, four-year-old Sammy, and one-year-old James, shopping, cooking, shuttling, and tending to broken hearts, including their own. Essayist, author, and playwright Rosenblatt, as grandfather Boppo, is tender and amusing as he recalls simple moments in the life of his daughter. His wife, Ginny, a former schoolteacher, essentially leads Amy's life in her absence, congregating with the mothers at the children's school activities and outings. Blindsided by Amy's death, they are all fragile in their concerns for other family members; tardiness or a choking fit become occasions for worry. Friends who have lost children commiserate on the unbearable loss. Sensitive without being sentimental, Rosenblatt eases any potential discomfort on the reader's part at this invitation to view one family's efforts to cope with loss. Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews
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