Grandpa Green By Lane Smith

 

Grandpa Green By Lane Smith

Bibliography:

Smith, Lane, and Molly Leach. 2011. Grandpa Green. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

ISBN: 9781596436077

Plot Summary:

This is the story of Grandpa Green. Grandpa Green is a artistic gardener who recreates his life in the form of topiaries in his garden. The story begins with Grandpa Green as a child living on a farm, and progresses through his life. He becomes a soldier in the war, a husband, father, and grandfather. With the help of the garden that Grandpa Green creates, his grandson is able to relive the most important memories of his life, and create a bond with his grandfather that cannot be unmatched.

Critical Analysis:

From the very beginning of this text, readers are immersed in a colorful and imaginative world. It is the story of life, and aging, and the important bonds that we create within our families. Grandpa Green shares every aspect of his life with his grandson. From getting Chicken Pox at a young age, to stealing his first kiss in middle school, and then going off to war, and meeting the love of his life. This book instills the idea of a family bond like no other. The boy watches his grandfather forget his hat and simple things about his life, but he still is able to create a beautiful garden with all of the important memories of his life. In the end, Grandpa Green shows us the importance of family and creating memories with our loved ones.

The illustrations in this book are the main focal point when paired with the simple and short text. The color scheme is very subdue with primarily grey, black, and green tones. Grandpa Green and the trees are sketched whereas, the topiaries that he creates throughout the book, are bright and vibrant. Also, when Grandpa Green goes to war, there is a touch of orange and red to show the war and ammunition. The illustrations in the book tell the story of Grandpa Green and they are very detailed to show the reader all of the aspects of his life, and greatly add to the story. It can even be suggested that the double page layouts within the text allow the reader to see how vast his grandfathers garden is, to show how long of a life he has lived, and the great memories that he is able to remember. As a whole, the design of the book is easy to read and the illustrations are wonderful, and add to the distinctive style of the story.

Review Excerpts:

Caldecott Medal Honor -2012

“Though this book has lots of adult appeal, it will also be a wonderful bridge to exploring family history with the very young.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Sketched with a finely lined fairy-tale wispiness and dominated by verdant green, the illustrations are not just creative but poignant.” —Booklist

“It's a rare glimpse into Smith's softer side--as skillful as his more sly offerings, but crafted with honesty and heart.” --Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"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."–School Library Journal Starred Review

"The perfect book to help kids understand old age." - Booklist

Connections/Activities:

• This book can be incorporated into a compare and contrast realistic fiction unit.
• The words could be covered, and students would have to make inferences based off of the illustrations.
• This book would be a good book to use when learning how to sequence, and recall facts within a book.
• Have students make connections between the print and illustrations.
• See if students understand and are able to interpret the phrase, "the garden remembers things for him".
• Students can explore the changing point of view within the text.
• Select other books by Lane Smith:
• It's a Book - 1596436069
• Madam President - 1423108469
• Select other Caldecott Medal Books:
• Locomotive- By Brian Floca - 1416994157
• Journey - Aaron Becker - 0763660531

Personal Connections:

Before reading Grandpa Green, I had been familiar with Lane Smith and his work, and this book was honestly better than I could have imagined. It is a sweet book that you can incorporate many reading lessons into. The underlying theme of family bonds and creating memories reminds us all that we are only here for a short time, and the lives that we lead are important. Grandpa Green lived a full life, and he is able to share it with his grandson through his artwork. The book alludes to Grandpa Green having Alzheimer's but does not explicitly state it, and I cannot find anywhere that this is what the author intended. But, I think that it would be a great book for Children who may have grandparents with Alzheimer's  because, it shows them that sometimes our grandparents are not able to remember everything, but the memories that they do have are important and mean a lot. In all this is a wonderful book, and I look forward to sharing it with my 3rd grade class.