1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Lane. 2011. Grandpa
Green. New York,
NY: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 978-1-59643-607-7
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this beautifully illustrated book, Lane Smith shares the
story of a young boy’s great grandfather who recreates his memories in garden
topiaries. The boy’s walk through the garden recreates the life of Grandpa
Green. The plants in the garden have been shaped by the grandfather to commemorate
special events in his life. The young grandson encounters Grandpa Green’s
recollections of having the chicken pox and his time as a soldier. The child notes that his grandfather may be,
at times, forgetful, but “the garden remembers for him.”
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
While the book follows the young boy on a walk in the
garden, and the illustrations show him with all of the topiaries, he is not the
main character of the book. It is not
until the very end of the book that the reader encounters the main character, the
great-grandfather. The young boy acts as
a narrator of the great-grandfather’s life story. Young readers will be entertained by the
child’s whimsical and age appropriate interactions with the garden topiaries.
Adult readers will be touched by the heart-warming recollections from the
grandfather’s life.
Witnessing the young boy’s capers in the garden reminds the
reader that youth is full of life, just like the topiaries. Aging and the grandfather’s loss of memory is
not glaring at the reader on every page of the book, however, it is clearly the
theme of the book. With this in mind, the
lovely illustrations share the garden and its memories without any obvious
intent to acquaint the reader with the specifics of the aging process of a
loved one.
This classically illustrated book shares the delicate aging
process with young readers. The simple text succinctly tells a man’s life
story, and his desire to create a lasting legacy in his garden. The story is timeless and the young boy’s
acceptance of his grandfather’s aging process will comfort children and
grandparents of all ages and cultures.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Caldecott Honor Book 2012
New York Times Best Illustrated Book
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book
A School Library Journal Best Book
Society of Illustrators Silver Medal 2011
Junior Library Guild Selection
New York Times Book
Review: "An unassuming little
masterpiece…the book’s power lies in its rich, allusive artistry.”
Starred Review
in School Library Journal:
"Visually intriguing and emotionally resonant, this is a book to pore over
and talk about. With each subsequent reading, it offers new layers of meaning
and visual connections.”
The New Yorker:
“In this affecting picture book, a boy recounts the life of his beloved
great-grandfather…The author’s illustrations, a blend of line drawings and
sponge painting, have a classic feel, and make clever use of the topiary theme,
rewarding close examination and repeated reading.”
Booklist: “Sketched with a finely lined fairy-tale
wispiness and dominated by verdant green, the illustrations are not just
creative but poignant.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*A book that helps
children understand old age and the passage of time. The book also demonstrates how people create
material objects to memorialize love ones.
*Other books written
and illustrated by Lane Smith:
Abe Lincoln’s Dream. ISBN 978-1596436084
It’s a Book.
ISBN 978-1596436060
The Big Elephant in the Room.
ISBN 978-1423116677
*Books that focus of
reminiscing of the past and memories of special people:
Bunting, Eve. The
Memory String. ISBN 978-0395861462
Polacco, Patricia.
The
Keeping Quilt. ISBN 978-0153052125