Evaluation

The pictures in this book are exquisite and rightly so because Grandpa Green is a Caldecott medal winner. I love the detail in the bushes as well as the pencil sketches on the foreground. I also appreciated the way the illustrator drew an old oak tree in the middle of the storybook representing multiple generations. One thing I loved about reading this book is the fact that it is from the perspective of a child. Although what is told is not a comprehensive view of his grandfather’s life, he talks about what is most important (the main ideas.) Interestingly, I found that a lot of the stories discussed were similar to the stories that my grandfather likes to share with me. He talks a lot about my grandmother who passed away two years ago and where they met and the day they got married. He also likes to talk about his time in the war and the “good old days” as he calls them. I think this story is a wonderful story for children who have grandparents or who have lost grandparents. Not only does it show that there are generations that come before us but it teaches children to respect the elderly and treat them with love.

One of the activities I thought about while reading this book was creating an interview project. Students in third and fourth grade and even second grade would interview one member of their family or extended family and find a couple of interesting stories about their life. The students would then use green water color and sharpie to create their own Grandpa Green image. You may decide to create and interview questionnaire or have the students decide what questions they want to ask.  You could even use this story for a simple journal prompt at the beginning of class asking students about what they know about their grandparent’s life or even parents life. This would be more appropriate for first and second graders