My Grandpa
I'll tell you a bit of my grandpa.
I think he's a thousand years old. He must keep his hands in the freezer; I've never felt ice cubes that cold. The hair growing off of his earlobes is more than the hair on his head. His eyes are all baggy and bloodshot. His nose is the same shade of red. His voice is like rickety floorboards. It crackles and groans when he speaks. Whenever he bends down to hug me it sounds like his skeleton creaks. He says that his memory is failing. He thinks that he's losing his mind. He's always misplacing his glasses; without them he's legally blind. My mom says his hearing is normal. I kind of believe her, but then whenever I tell him "I love you," he asks me to say it again.
--Kenn Nesbitt
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Unwrapping ...
Written by Kally Mayer and illustrated by Mindy Liang
Ages: 4-8
Pulling the wrapping right off so we can see inside...
This book is an ode to a non-gumpy grandpa. It is written in rhyme and delivered by an adorable, blonde, ponytailed lassie. She tries to convince all the readers that no, her grandpa isn't really grumpy, he just has a lot to contend with in his life.
She sites happenings like finding his teeth in the toilet bowl, discovering his favourite t-shirt is now obsolete, how embarrassed he feels when he not only needs a hair cut but has to have his eyebrows and ears (and probably his nose hairs too) trimmed ... all contributing factors to him looking and feeling his age. All day long he faces challenges that in his early years would not have bothered him one tiny bit. Her grandpa is surrounded by his faithful, cuddly dog that puts up with his idiosyncrasies, and his grandchildren who can be bothersome at times. Somehow this intelligent little girl has figured out that he is not grumpy at all but only appears that way. She concludes that he acts that way because he has worked for a such a long, long time and he needs his rest.
She is elated when she and grandpa hang out together and he tells her stories of days gone by and they bond over ice cream, bike rides, fishing excursions and movie sharing, just to name a few. Do you know what she loves best to do with her Grandpa? Well I don't want to spoil it for you so you had best get a copy of the book and find out. She knows that she is blessed to have a grandpa so loving and one that wants to spend time doing all sorts of things with her.
The illustrations are colourful, expressive and engaging. They make you wish you had a grandpa just like this lucky wee girl. Their facial expressions say it all towards each other.
Everyone grows old, every one has stories buried deep inside of them to tell and to share. May the young children of the next generation be as wise as this little girl and tune into their grandparents, listen to their stories, and realize what a gift they are to their family. Grandparents need to be acknowledged, respected and treasured.
I loved the intro:
"You don't quit laughing
Because you grow old,
You grow old because
You stop laughing." (Amen.)
Kally Mayer is the oldest of 7 children and has always loved writing and poetry. She recalls her mother being concerned that she read so much that she never came out of her room.
Working as a Youth worker with special needs children Kally has been around children her whole life. She really enjoys entertaining them with her silly rhymes and made up stories.
Kally has 3 children and two grandchildren which has inspired her to publish books for younger children.
Kally believes that literacy is an important indicator of the success of your child and entertaining them while reading is key. Gone are the days of Dick and Jane. The more fun you and your child have, the more you will hook them into reading!
Read on and read always!
It's a wrap.
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