Grandpa Green

In this story about grandfathers and memories, a young boy travels throughout his grandfather's garden retelling the story of his grandfather's life. Even though the grandfather is becoming forgetful, the boy says the garden will always hold his grandfather's memories.

Absolutely beautiful illustrations. This book is about the importance in valuing the memories of loved ones. This is told from a boys perspective remembering his grandfather. The boy is walking through his garden, where we can see the memories carved into the surrounding bushes and trees. Starting

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from when his grandpa was a boy with chicken pox, then a soldier, to a new husband, then progresses to his artistry in his beloved garden. The boy is proud to share these memories and deeply loved his grandpa, who we find passes at the end. The boy creates his own memory of his grandpa in the garden by making a topiary of his grandpa.

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A little boy admires his grandpa. He tells us about the life and accomplishments his grandpa has made. The little boys grandpa has passed away but the little boy will never forget how much he loves his grandpa. Gread read aloud book with great illustrations.

A young boy is able to retell the story of his grandpa's life through a garden of sculpted plants his grandpa created. Even when his grandpa is no longer alive with him, he is able to celebrate the life and legacy of his grandpa.

The book would be very useful in starting to explain and discuss

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aging, illness, and death with students of various ages.

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The story of the long and wonderful life of a loved grandfather told though beautiful pictures. Memories live on in this book as they are kept in our hearts.

Amazing book that I will share with my own children, as I can relate to this book. This book shows that memories can be carried all around you, not in your head. The illustrations are beautiful and help tell the story, which always makes for a great all around book.

The story of a little boy whose Grandpa passes away. Although his Grandpa is gone he still has all the memories of him in his garden. The grandpa took care of his garden where the carved the bushes and trees into the most memorable times of his life. The garden is of when he was younger to when he

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grew and got married. This is a great book to read when talking about death with children, although the person may be gone you will always carry the memories you have of them.

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Great pictures that add depth to the story.

"Grandpa Green" is a charming book about the circle of life. It teaches children to cherish the people they love, and appreciate the life they live.

The author's family story about his great grandfather told through line drawings and topiary shapes in great-grandpa's garden.
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Smith, L. (2011). Grandpa Green. (Ill. by the author). New York: Roaring Brook Press. 32 pp. ISBN: 978-1-59643-607-7. (Hardcover); $16.99.

We interrupt this column to highlight a picture book that can be used with all age groups. Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is THE book for anyone who wants to share

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respect for our elders with other readers. In some ways this book marks a huge departure for Lane Smith, but I have always appreciated and enjoyed the very real humanity hiding in his zanier moments. Do yourself a favor and purchase Grandpa Green. Rarely does a picture book deal so respectfully and wisely with a topic like dementia. I will not be surprised to see this book show up on the Caldecott list this January.

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This book tells Grandpa Green's life story in topiaries throughout the book. It's very clever and something I've never seen before. The illistrations are amazing. I think this is a sweet, old fashioned book that appeals more to parents than to young children.

This is an amazing children’s book about Grandpa Green. Grandpa Green was born a long time ago and he grew up on a farm. He got chicken pox in the fourth grade, and kissed a girl in middle school. He wanted to be a horticulturist, but went to serve in the war instead. That is where he met his

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future wife and they got married after the war ended. Grandpa Green is getting old and forgetting lots of things, but he doesn’t forget his best memories because they are kept in the garden. This book has a lot of meaning behind it, and was very touching.

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This book is about a child's grandfather that makes beautiful masterpieces out of huge, green hedges. The grandpa is also suffering from either old age, demetia or alzheimer's disease and through this story the young boy makes us realize that he can keep his grandfathers' memories alive in all the

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hedgework that his grandpa has done throughout his life. At the very end the grandpa dies. This story can hit home to any child and even me. People will always age and it can happen to myself or anyone of my family members, including any reader's. This book could evoke some sad emotions from a child, but I think that is okay. I think this book is both beautiful and relevant.

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This picture book can be very emotional for ones who recently lost a loved one. The story is about how a young boy's grandpa starts loosing his memory and if he looks into the garden he will remember due to the images that are craved into the green's in the garden. Near the end of the story the

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reader learns from the image that is shown at the last page of the book is that the grandpa must have passed.

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A story about an elderly man who turns topiaries into a garden of memories. The story is told by the man's great-grandson.

This is a great book for all ages to read. The pictures are amazingly done. The picture tell the story of a grandpa who has now passed away. He always kept a garden and his garden tell his story.

This book was about a little boy telling about his grandpa's life, by pictures of greenery. This is a great books to read to students and talk about feeling.

This book can help kids cope with and elderly person that can't remember things. "Grandpa Green" is about memories and hanging on to them. Through the illustrations we can understand the memories of grandpa.

I love this story. It has very deep meanings about memories. The art and color choices from the author is amazing as well.

I loved the illustration. Some went with the story like the Chicken Pox hedge and some didn’t. I felt like it was more of a book for sentimental value if you could relate to the book. I don’t think in a children’s standpoint that it would be appealing unless it related to them somehow. As an

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adult I appreciated the art of the book and the storyline but to me it seemed for a selective audience.

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The visual elements of this book are amazing. I love that the little boys imagination comes to life via the topiary in his Grandpa's garden.

What is the earliest memory you have from your childhood? The boy in "Grandpa Green" has a whole garden of memories of his grandpa; his hero. This story is about all of the memories the boy remembers his grandpa telling him, and the readers actually are seeing the memories in the gardens he creates

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out of bushes and trees. This story reflects upon how memories are powerful, and how when one has passed on, he or she is never really truly gone because of memories. The boy is proud to share his grandpa's life and proud of his memories that he will never forget. This story also has layers which means it will have different means for adults and children. It is also very relatable because this story can explain things that are sometimes harder for adults to explain to their children. It also identifies that the value of memories is extremely important in this book, and it tells and shows why memories should be valued as much as they are.

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Lane Smith tells the story of Grandpa Green through the topiary Grandpa made to commemorate all the events of his life. Lovely story depicted with perfectly complementary text and illustration, with a stunning final fold-out page.

“He was born a really long time ago, (illustration is a shrub in

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the shape of a crying baby)
Before computers or cell phones or television.” (illustration shows young boy watering plants near a big forest)

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