Picture Books: Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Smith, Lane. 2011. Grandpa Green. New York: Roaring Book Press. ISBN 9781596436077

Summary

Grandpa Green is a touching tale of a boy who learns stories of his great-grandfather's life through the beauty of topiary landscaping. The enchanting tale takes the reader through major milestones in the great-grandfather's life: his childhood experiences while living on a farm, interests in fantasy books, girls, and horticulture, life as a soldier, love, marriage, children, and the forgetfulness that comes with old age. These memories are preserved in the garden in which the story is set.

Analysis

Smith's illustrations take us on a journey through the garden, with mainly white backgrounds filled with various shades of green, emphasizing the appeal of the topiary trees. Splashes of color come into play at significant moments, particularly in the mention of chicken pox. Images of the boy show him collecting and transporting gardening tools while appreciating and reenacting special moments through the details of the topiary trees. Smith illustrates through the magic of collage, a combination of various mediums.

Grandpa Green teaches the reader the importance of family and preservation of memories. The illustrations play an integral role in teaching these themes, as the text itself is a very low word count. After reading the story a second time and evaluating the illustrations with a keener eye, the reader notices that the tools collected by the boy are those that the great-grandfather leaves behind due to his forgetfulness. Character development is minor, but the boy has an understanding that, while his great-grandfather may forget the small things, such as his gardening tools, the "important stuff, the garden remembers for him."

Personal Response

Grandpa Green is beautifully written and illustrated. I found myself reading the story multiple times, studying the illustrations and noticing more details with each reread. The closeness and emotion portrayed through the pictures is remarkable. I found myself thinking of my special connections to the places, objects, and memories I cherish with my late grandparents.

Reviews and Awards

"From a jacket image of the entranced child watching Grandpa shape an elephant to a last view of that child fashioning a topiary Grandpa, a thoughtful, eloquent, and elegantly illustrated book to explore, consider, and read again."-Joanna Rudge Long, The Horn Book Magazine

"A clever premise, brilliant pacing, and whimsical illustrations offer a distinctive look at the life and artistic vision of one great-grandfather." -School Library Journal

"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

2012 Caldecott Honor Book

Connections

Children may feel a special connection to Grandpa Green depending on the relationships they have with their own grandparents. A great selection that could be paired with this story is The Hello Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, a story that combines the close relationship of a grandchild and their grandparents with a special place in the grandparents home. After reading these stories, children can be inspired to write a personal narrative about special places they share with their grandparents. This lesson can be adapted to write about other family members as well.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is another great example of close relationships and how people change over time. Both books can be used in a compare/contrast lesson. The students can discuss the similarities in the relationships between characters, while also discussing the differences, like the personification of the tree versus the realness of the great-grandfather.