My Grandpa's Chair

August 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-Julie and her dog Mimi are on a quest for a new chair for Julie's grandfather, who has grown tired of his once beloved couch. No chair seems to suit him. "Some chairs were too small. The hard chair gave him back pain. The rocking chair made Grandpa dizzy. And some chairs were too soft." Julie and Mimi decide to order a chair made especially for Grandpa, made from only the finest materials, but he can't feel at ease around his new possession. His constant worry over the chair takes away the joy Julie hoped to provide him. Readers see how comfort can come from places we might least expect. This sweet story of devotion and dedication is brilliantly illustrated with colorful, textured full-spread depictions of the special intergenerational bond. VERDICT A great and heartwarming addition to any collection.-Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2017
A granddaughter wants to find the perfect chair to cheer her grandfather up but learns it's the company you sit with that matters most. Grandpa used to love sitting on the couch and reading, but not anymore. His granddaughter, a little brunette with pigtail poofs, assumes the couch itself is the cause for his discontent, so she takes him furniture shopping. Together they test and measure their options until Grandpa orders a custom-built chair--that's too fancy to use. Hoping to lift his spirits, the peach-complexioned girl suggests the park, where, as they sit side by side on a stump and read, Grandpa finds his happy place. Playful end pages showcase the artist's strength at creating attractive and unusual elements with simple colors and patterns. This naive style is applied with skill; however, the artist's use of digital tools to collage her elements yields work that lacks the spontaneity of analog. The girl's ebullience and the sheer good-heartedness of the story help to compensate for this. Observant readers may find cause for Grandpa's sadness, as framed pictures show Grandpa with a smiling, gray-haired woman who is absent from the story. Pak's heartening tale about intergenerational caring warms the soul. (Picture book. 3-7)

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