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Smith, Lane.
2011. Grandpa Green. New York:
Roaring Book Press. ISBN: 9781596436077
A young boy
takes readers on a walk through a memory garden created by his
great-grandfather. In Grandpa Green, bestselling author and illustrator
Lane Smith, explores the relationship of an aging horticulturist with his sensitive
great-grandson through the honest observations of the young boy. The youngster
narrates the life of his great-grandpa—from his humble beginnings, school
years, war experience, married life, all the way to his old age—as he comes
upon each topiary figure shaped to represent the highlights of the older man’s
life. The keen young man realizes his grandpa’s forgetfulness is a natural part
of aging, but is hopeful in the end that the memory garden will always hold the
important milestones planted there, especially now since he has taken up the
clippers as well.
This unique
and gentle picture storybook quietly depicts not only Smith’s fantastic
artistry, but also the title character’s meticulously crafted handiwork. The monochromatic
color scheme of the entire work evokes the feeling of flipping through an old
cherished family album. The green-hued pages make the boy’s small voice more
dramatic and vivid. Each scene in the story plays tribute to a significant time
in great-grandpa’s life. These landmark moments come to life through his
lovingly created topiary figures—green shrubbery carved into everything from
babies and bombs to waitresses and wedding cakes. The grandpa’s worsening
memory is alluded to by the dropped items found along the way and is poignantly
symbolized by a huge elephant figure, atop which the gardening enthusiast
has absent-mindedly left his floppy straw hat. At the end of the book,
readers are treated to a double foldout--a green hedge which opens to reveal the
entire garden of memories, old and new, including the latest living statue of
the young boy himself. Smith leaves us with a final image of the little lad
with shears in hand, clipping away at a green figure of his beloved grandpa as
he wants to remember him.
What I enjoyed
most about this picture book is that the sentiment it fills you with is not
forced. And the text is not flowery—no pun intended. This minimalist writing
comes across as very honest and realistic, just as a boy would relate it. School
Library Journal agrees, “… the imaginative art fills in what the words leave
out…”. It is very easy to imagine that this boy would have listened repeatedly to his
great-grandpa’s childhood tales. The boy knows all the stuff that is
important to grandpa, and that is all what matters. It is amazing how a book filled with little more than images of leaves,
twigs, shrubs, and trees could be so compelling. Readers will instantly spot Smith’s whimsical tribute to the Wizard of Oz. I love how he brilliantly adds color in the
green landscape with red berries to dot the chicken-poxed faced of young
grandpa. Most touching is the simple truth that the memories of generations
past are carefully handed down to the future ones, like beloved treasures. As Publishers Weekly put it, Smith’s reflective tale “…muses
on the memories, talents, and traditions passed down through generations.”
Grandpa Green is a Caldecott Honor book and was
included in the Texas 2x2 Reading List (2012).
In a public
library setting, this book can be shared during preschool storytimes
featuring families or grandparents. This story can also be a great introduction to
the letter G, focusing on the words garden, green, and grandpa. Or perhaps the work can be tied in with a color-themed program alongside Harold and the Purple Crayon and Blue Chicken.
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