Product Description

Where is Grandpa? That question haunts a young boy on the day his grandpa dies. Grandpa has been so richly present, so many places--at the tree house, at the waterfall, at the door ready to carve pumpkins. It's hard to imagine life without him. Yet now he seems very far away indeed.

As the boy remembers Grandpa with his family, he discovers a surprising answer: Grandpa, perhaps, is closer to home than anyone ever realized.

In this deeply moving tale, the poetic words of T.A. Barron and the luminous illustrations of Chris K. Soentpiet remind us all that a family's sorrow can be shared-and that even in the greatest loss, love can still be found.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #994986 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .35" h x 11.32" w x 8.81" l, .85 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Barron's (The Lost Years of Merlin) debut picture book, which the flap copy describes as autobiographical, offers a humanist response to death and grieving. On the day that Grandpa dies, a boy listens as his sister, brother and parents share memories of this generous, dynamic man. But he can't bring himself to join in, despite his own fond memories of spending time with Grandpa in the tree house Grandpa had built overlooking the Rockies. At last, the boy asks, "Can anybody tell me... Where is Grandpa now?" Fumbling for a definition of heaven, the father concludes, "Maybe you could say that heaven is any place where people who love each other have shared some time together." Kids may need some help fleshing out this concept, even as the child recalls the wonderful spots he and Grandpa had visited together. Thinking of his grandfather "in all of those places" frees the boy to return to them and, presumably, to carry on with a life that Grandpa has greatly enriched. Depicting stagily lit daytime scenes, electrically hued sunsets and starry nights, Soentpiet's (More Than Anything Else) watercolor tableaux amplify--and perhaps exaggerate--both the natural theater of the majestic mountain setting and the human drama of Barron's graceful story. A useful springboard for dialogue between bereaved adults and children. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A gentle story of a young boy's grief when his beloved grandfather dies. His family talks about their positive memories of him-adventures shared, a funny Halloween incident, and how easy he was to talk to. However, the narrator cannot verbalize his memories until his father answers such questions as "Where is Grandpa now?" or "Where is heaven?" Struggling with his own grief, his dad tries to answer as truthfully as he can. He explains that "-heaven is any place where people who love each other have shared some time together." The story is set against a backdrop of the majestic Rocky Mountains. At first, the watercolor paintings seem to glow with a very bright "liquid light" (a phrase of Grandpa's), but that brightness gradually softens to more soothing colors as the family contemplates the man's death. After Dad answers the child's questions, the colors lighten again, suggesting the coming resolution of their grief. A helpful introduction to death and the grieving process.
Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Barron's young adult novels often use magic and the supernatural as a way of explaining and demanding respect for nature. In this touching story, Barron uses nature as a way of helping to explain the life cycle. When a young boy's grandfather dies, his family shares stories and memories of him. Grandpa loved nature, and during hikes to waterfalls and climbing expeditions, he taught this love to his family. The boy is unsure of where his grandfather is now, so his father explains: he is "in heaven--any place where people who love each other have shared some time together." The boy decides that for Grandpa, heaven is the world of nature they shared. Enriched by vibrant plays of light and color, the illustrations of mountains, waterfalls, and trees are stunning. Because of the questions the story raises about death and religious teachings, this may be a choice best shared with parents. Marta Segal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved