This beautiful picture book for the very young follows on from the CBC Award-winning Grandpa and Thomas and again depicts the special relationship between grandchild and grandfather. This time, when Grandpa and Thomas go to the beach they swim, picnic, slide down the sand-dunes and build a sand-car. Then the weather turns stormy and the two shelter in the car, under the green umbrella, until the storm passes.Pamela Allen's picture books are ideal for showing students how rhythm, repetition and humour can be used to create a successful and engaging text. It is wonderful to share and read aloud with very small children, as the words encourage their active participation.
This beautifully illustrated story connects past and present as a girl bakes a chocolate cake with her father and learns about her grandfather harvesting cacao beans in West Africa. Chocolate is the perfect treat, everywhere! As a little girl and her father bake her birthday cake together, Daddy tells the story of her Grandpa Cacao, a farmer from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. In a land where elephants roam and the air is hot and damp, Grandpa Cacao worked in his village to harvest cacao, the most important ingredient in chocolate. "Chocolate is a gift to you from Grandpa Cacao," Daddy says. "We can only enjoy chocolate treats thanks to farmers like him." Once the cake is baked, it's ready to eat, but this isn't her only birthday present. There's a special surprise waiting at the front door . . .
Jonathan Safran Foer emerged as one of the most original writers of his generation with his best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated. Now, with humor, tenderness, and awe, he confronts the traumas of our recent history. What he discovers is solace in that most human quality, imagination. Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. An inspired innocent, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating, and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to Harlem on his search. Along the way he is always dreaming up inventions to keep those he loves safe from harm. What about a birdseed shirt to let you fly away? What if you could actually hear everyone's heartbeat? His goal is hopeful, but the past speaks a loud warning in stories of those who've lost loved ones before. As Oskar roams New York, he encounters a motley assortment of humanity who are all survivors in their own way. He befriends a 103-year-old war reporter, a tour guide who never leaves the Empire State Building, and lovers enraptured or scorned. Ultimately, Oskar ends his journey where it began, at his father's grave. But now he is accompanied by the silent stranger who has been renting the spare room of his grandmother's apartment. They are there to dig up his father's empty coffin.
Children love laughing about body noises. In Grandpa's Noises, a range of sounds and words coming from body and mouth are explained in a warm and funny intergenerational romp. Children look at life with open, honest eyes but sometimes it takes a bit of thinking and code-breaking to work out what's really going on. Fortunately, for this particular grandchild, while Grandpa's noises might be a mystery to many, he knows just what they mean! For example, "Eyenolessgofurawark" is obviously Grandpa-speak for "I know, let’s go for a walk". "Aaaahhh" means the cup of tea is just perfect, and "Pissphusshawertt" is that sinking sound Grandpa makes when he needs a rest in his chair. And once you know that "Eeeawoscreech!" is actually the sound of a misbehaving hearing aid, Grandpa becomes a lot less scary and even more lovable. Of course some sounds - like the "Fffffffft" that sometimes escapes Grandpa’s bottom, and Dad's - need no explanation!
Whenever Kirk would fly DeHavilland Otter N6868B his adult children would say to their kids, "There goes Grandpa," as he would fly by. It wasn't long before the kids would hear an airplane and immediately look to see if it was "Grandpa's Plane." The story came about as Kirk heard accounts of his grandchildren getting excited as his airplane would fly overhead and hearing the grandkids say, "We saw you fly by today Grandpa." Constant requests for rides from the grandkids cemented the storyline.
Brunvoll pays special tribute to grandfathers through fun-loving, anecdotal stories that celebrate their mischief and playfulness. Other features include humorous quotations, whimsical "grandpa-isms," and fun facts about famous grandfathers in world history.
Children are curious and attentive to their surroundings. They observe and have questions even though they may not ask! The subject of death of a loved one like grandparents should not be a taboo or a hidden event with mysterious disappearance of the person! Children need to know as much as they can absorb and not more. This book might be a conversation starter to be used in similar situations. It is written and illustrated by a pediatrician with special interest in child development and behavior. All the proceeds of this book will be used to fund Grasp Foundation and its goals! (graspfoundation.org). The foundations website will be available soon, and the e-mail address is [email protected].
Original oil paintings tell the story of how Grandpa watches over a little boy over the course of his life, even though Grandpa can be with him only in spirit. This art story book is a peaceful and healing read for adults and children alike. Gentle emotions, passionate colors, and simple words communicate an inspirational message that love lives on, and family is forever.
