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3rd out of 82 books
—
165 voters
Grandpa Green
by
Lane Smith
From the creator of the national bestseller It's a Book comes a timeless story of family history, legacy, and love.
Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farmboy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where...more
Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farmboy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
August 30th 2011
by Roaring Brook Press
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This is a phenomenal children's book. The illustrations are very well done. A great-grandson tells the story of his great-grandpa's life with the help of drawings of artistically manicured shrubbery. This was very well done and sure to become a favorite among kids and parents alike.
I'd much sooner have made this one the Caldecott winner this year that Chris Raschka's book. The story is told by a little boy who can be seen walking through a very unusual garden, and picking up various objects to put in his wagon as he goes. The real story is told by the illustrations, which are shaped like objects and events in the boy's description of his grandfather, the man who created the wonderful garden he is walking through. It took me a few pages to realize that the hedges and bushes...more
4 likes · like · see review
Sep 04, 2011
nicole j. wroblewski
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Grandpas
Shelves:
picture-books
Maybe I'm wrong and more kids will be drawn into the images than I realize, but I'm having trouble seeing Grandpa Green as anything other than a father's or grandparent's day gift. It's a picture book for adults (which the dump will tell you itself), specifically male adults that like gardening and/or fought in a war. I just don't see the writing itself keeping a child reader entertained. That's okay though. Clearly Lane Smith is well into a point in his career where he can write picture books f...more
5 likes · like · see review
The text has a real sincerity and truth to it, and the story arc is well-executed and ends at just the right moment. I tend to think of books about aging and death as either overly weepy or overly cheesy, but this book strikes just the right balance. I was moved, but not devastated, and though I felt sadness, I also felt a sense of hope and comfort, knowing that Grandpa's life was filled with wonderful memories.
Read my full review on my blog: http://sharingsoda.blogspot.com/2011/...
Read for #ne...more
Read my full review on my blog: http://sharingsoda.blogspot.com/2011/...
Read for #ne...more
Nicely interwoven story about a child remembering and a great grandpa forgetting.
Reading this the first time through to three kids and another adult, we all missed the objects the grandchild was finding in the garden that were left behind by his forgetful grandfather. We paid all our attention on the clipped shrubs and what they represented.
Only now, as I'm flipping through the book to write this review, did I catch the objects the boy was picking up. It wasn't obvious from the beginning, and...more
Reading this the first time through to three kids and another adult, we all missed the objects the grandchild was finding in the garden that were left behind by his forgetful grandfather. We paid all our attention on the clipped shrubs and what they represented.
Only now, as I'm flipping through the book to write this review, did I catch the objects the boy was picking up. It wasn't obvious from the beginning, and...more
I chose this book out of four options to read during a teaching workshop today because it is about Alzheimer's disease, which is probably my greatest fear. I finished an initial read unimpressed and dissatisfied with the ending. However, after rereading and studying the images more closely, many new elements presented themselves that made Grandpa Green a very clever and moving piece of literature.
That said, I'm not sure children will learn much about Alzheimer's disease from this book, and the y...more
That said, I'm not sure children will learn much about Alzheimer's disease from this book, and the y...more
Grandpa Green has lived a long life. He was a soldier who met his wife during the war and went on to have a long, happy life making memories with his family. Although Grandpa Green has started to forget a lot, one thing that reminds him is his beautiful garden with all of his great experiences told throughout the garden by beautiful manicured topiary trees. Because of Grandpa Green’s beautiful garden, his family will forever have the memory of all things Grandpa Green cared about. This story is...more
The title of the book is, Grandpa Green. The author and illustrator of the book is, Lane Smith. The book was published by, Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership. It was published in New York, NY, in 2011. This book is a fiction picture book. This is a first edition, and has 32 pages. This hardback edition cost, $16.99. The ISBN is, 978-1-59643-607-7.
Grandpa Green takes place in modern times. The story takes place in a garden. This story is told b...more
Grandpa Green takes place in modern times. The story takes place in a garden. This story is told b...more
The really unusual thing about the illustrations in this book isn't that they are trimmed bushes shaped to look like people and other immediately recognizable creatures. The unusual thing is that one can tell how good the artwork is, and quite easily, without really knowing why it's so good. Perhaps it's the convincing dimensions that Lane Smith is able to create out of a few leafy branches and the shadows they cast, dimensions that make whatever scene is being depicted feel bigger, better, and...more
Smith, L. (2011). Grandpa Green. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Gr. K-3. A young boy narrates this beautifully illustrated story about his great-grandfather. When his great-grandfather was young, he wanted to study horticulture, but he had to go to war, so he did not get to realize his dream. However, he created a beautiful garden in which he made all his memories come to life in plants.
Curriculum: This is a great book for visual literacy. The illustrations of the plants grandpa makes are symbols...more
Gr. K-3. A young boy narrates this beautifully illustrated story about his great-grandfather. When his great-grandfather was young, he wanted to study horticulture, but he had to go to war, so he did not get to realize his dream. However, he created a beautiful garden in which he made all his memories come to life in plants.
Curriculum: This is a great book for visual literacy. The illustrations of the plants grandpa makes are symbols...more
Audience: Intended for Pre-k to 2nd grade, but a great book for the entire family; aging; family bonds
Appeal: "Grandpa Green" is a wonderful journey through a garden where the topiary and great-grandson take us down memory lane of all the life events of Grandpa Green. The illustrations are excellent, and the story is told in a very touching way showing the bond between a great-grandson and his great-grandfather. I related to this book in two different ways. First it reminded me of the stories t...more
Grandpa Green is a book about a young boy telling a life story about his grandfather. The book is filled with beautiful images formed from bushes to complement the story the boy is telling. This book is opened in the sense that the reader can depict the images to accompany the story that the boy is telling. This book appealed to be because of the way the boy simply tells a story with so much history through various images. Many children have stories to tell about their loved ones and families th...more
Caldecott
With age, Grandpa Green loses his memory, but as soon as he gets to his beloved garden he maintains, he remembers again. Grandpa Green's life story is told with within his several different shaped bushes. It teachers his grandson about his past, and it also reminds Grandpa Green about his own life.
The story is of the grandfather is being told by the grandson. His resources for his story telling is the garden his grandfather made himself. It reminds his grandfather of his important mom...more
With age, Grandpa Green loses his memory, but as soon as he gets to his beloved garden he maintains, he remembers again. Grandpa Green's life story is told with within his several different shaped bushes. It teachers his grandson about his past, and it also reminds Grandpa Green about his own life.
The story is of the grandfather is being told by the grandson. His resources for his story telling is the garden his grandfather made himself. It reminds his grandfather of his important mom...more
Summary
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is about a young boy who goes into his grandfather's garden and enters into his life story told through the beautifully shaped plants. Grandpa Green always loved plants and he used them to feed into his artistic side and he crafted them to depict scenes from his life. From when he lived on a farm to when he met his wife, everything that is important to Grandpa Green is in his garden
Critique
This book was great for a number of reasons. First and foremost were the...more
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is about a young boy who goes into his grandfather's garden and enters into his life story told through the beautifully shaped plants. Grandpa Green always loved plants and he used them to feed into his artistic side and he crafted them to depict scenes from his life. From when he lived on a farm to when he met his wife, everything that is important to Grandpa Green is in his garden
Critique
This book was great for a number of reasons. First and foremost were the...more
In Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, a young boy tells of his grandfather's past. His grandfather loves trees and plants, and tells his story by shaping them into scenes or important features from his past. His grandson tells the story based on these plants - for example, a tree shaped like a girl to demonstrate him meeting his wife, or a chicken to explain how he lived on a farm. As the book goes on, the boy tells how his grandfather wanted to study horticulture, met his wife, and grew older and wis...more
Grandpa Green doesn't remember a whole lot anymore but as soon as he gets to the garden he remembers. His great grandson enjoys going throughout the garden and seeing his grandfather's life flash before his eyes in different shaped bushes. He knows that his grandfather was one a soldier, and grew up on farm, he knows how he met his grandmother, he sees that he was an artist, and he had chicken pox when he was younger. All of this stuff the garden teaches the boy and reminds the grandfather.
The p...more
The p...more
Grandpa Green’s life story is told by his great-grandson as he walks through Grandpa’s garden. Each stage of Grandpa’s life is represented by trees, plants, and intricate topiary. Grandpa grew up on a farm, went to war, married the love of his life, and had many grandkids, and even more great-grandkids. Now he is old and sometimes he forgets things, “but the important stuff, the garden remembers for him.”
The illustrations are the focal point in this sweet, but never sugary, life story that won a...more
The illustrations are the focal point in this sweet, but never sugary, life story that won a...more
Lane Smith's quirky humor, some topiaries, and you've got a winner.
A blogger I read said this was a book that was "for adults" so she resented having to purchase it because of the Caldecott Honor (2012). I can see her point, but I also wonder if this book couldn't be used to begin a conversation with a child about why grandpa or grandma, or even mom or dad doesn't always remember. Or can seem to remember things from 40 years ago, but doesn't know the child's name. More and more families have a m...more
A blogger I read said this was a book that was "for adults" so she resented having to purchase it because of the Caldecott Honor (2012). I can see her point, but I also wonder if this book couldn't be used to begin a conversation with a child about why grandpa or grandma, or even mom or dad doesn't always remember. Or can seem to remember things from 40 years ago, but doesn't know the child's name. More and more families have a m...more
This is a sweet and simple picture book with whimsical illustrations that will delight the young reader’s imagination. For the adult reader, it does not satisfy at the first read. This book offers something deeper, touching the hearts of adults. Lane Smith masterfully explores core subjects such as aging, family legacy, memory, and love. It leaves much for discussion after several reads. The beautiful artwork is a great accompaniment to the simple text.
This is not a character-driven plot, but a...more
This is not a character-driven plot, but a...more
In this mesmerizing picture book of intertwining generations, a great-grandson discovers the details of his Grandpa Green’s life by exploring a most unusual topiary garden. Like a cast of characters on a stage, Grandpa’s leafy green figures are symbolic representations of his life story—chicks hatching from eggs, a bushy cannon and parachuting soldiers; a giant wedding cake topped with a youthful bride and groom. Smith’s mixed media illustrations are both playful and brimming with meaning. In on...more
I think that this book "Grandpa Green" deservs to win the Caldecott Award in 2012. This inspiring story is told to a great grandson, about his great-grandfathers life. It's told through simple words, but paired with amazing artword. His grandfather shows how he remember his life through creating masterpieces in his garden that reflect his life experiences. As the grandfathers memory is beginning to fade away, the trees are a way he can communicate and remember. I think small children could appre...more
As always, the design of Lane Smith's newest book is beautiful, thank you Molly Leach. The color scheme and the ink characters and the mixed media foliage is somehow restrained, despite the perhaps overly exciting sprawl of the verdant images across the pages. In contrast, the story itself is actually quiet and somewhat contemplative. However, the whole thing comes off as a little weird with the mixture of reality (computer or cell phones or television, war, marriage, Alzheimer's, etc.) with alm...more
This is a wonderful children's picture storybook that tells a life story of a man through the eyes of his grandson. The story tells of how his grandmother and grandfather met, as well as how his grandpa remembers things now, from his garden.
The story is a heart-clenching, mature story told from the eyes of a young child. It really got serious and sad when he described how his grandpa was getting old and having trouble remembering things.
The illustrations in this book are amazing. It's so nice...more
The story is a heart-clenching, mature story told from the eyes of a young child. It really got serious and sad when he described how his grandpa was getting old and having trouble remembering things.
The illustrations in this book are amazing. It's so nice...more
This is a stunning and highly original picture book. From the first page's topiary shape cut to resemble a newborn baby crying to the last page in which the great-grandchild who is telling the story snips foliage in the shape of his grandfather, there are delights on every page. Basically, this is a boy's telling of his great grandfather's biography, growing up on a chicken farm, having dreams of studying horticulture, going off to war, finding the love of his life--all the big and little events...more
Genre: Picture Book
Copyright: 2011
Overview:
From the creator of the national bestseller It's a Book comes a timeless story of family history, legacy, and love.
Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farmboy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination...more
Copyright: 2011
Overview:
From the creator of the national bestseller It's a Book comes a timeless story of family history, legacy, and love.
Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farmboy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination...more
This story is about grandpa green, and how his great-grandson tells his stories from the past. Grandpa green is very old, so he creates a beautiful gardern with plants that he has carved that represent a story from his life. He doesn't want to forget his life and the stories from it, so now he has a way from everyone to remember his stories and add their own to his collection.
The setting kind of creates a metaphor throughout the story. The title "Grandpa Green" receives its title due to all the...more
The setting kind of creates a metaphor throughout the story. The title "Grandpa Green" receives its title due to all the...more
Grandpa Green is a beautiful tale. It centers around a young boy who is traveling through his great grandfather's wonderfully crafted garden with shrubbery in the shape of chickens, airplanes, and carrots just to name a few. The boy explains that his great grandfather "used to remember everything. Now he's pretty old and he sometimes forgets things...But the important stuff, the garden remembers for him."
The illustrations are amazing. In fact, this book is my pick for the 2012 Caldecott award....more
The illustrations are amazing. In fact, this book is my pick for the 2012 Caldecott award....more
Through the vivid, colorful illustrations Lane Smith tells the tale of a colorful, interesting man; through the perspective of his grandson. Aside from the actual stories that the boy tells, a topiary garden is used to create images for the stories. Smith uses captivating tales about the mans' adventures and his journeys throughout his life. The stories told through the garden are ones such as his birth, his illness with chicken pox, his military service, and his marriage. Not only are the stori...more
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is a story about family history, legacy and love, concerning the life of Grandpa Green and his fantastic topiary garden of his memories.
Grandpa Green's topiary garden chronicles his life starting with his birth and his life on a farm where they had carrots, rabbits and chickens. He got chicken pox in fourth grade, and while he stayed home from school he read about secret gardens, Wizards in Oz and a Little Engine That Could. In Middle School he stole his first kiss....more
Grandpa Green's topiary garden chronicles his life starting with his birth and his life on a farm where they had carrots, rabbits and chickens. He got chicken pox in fourth grade, and while he stayed home from school he read about secret gardens, Wizards in Oz and a Little Engine That Could. In Middle School he stole his first kiss....more
Oct 03, 2011
Jessie Bear
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
family,
garden,
green,
trees,
si-624,
picture-book,
ages-3-6,
male-protagonist,
memory,
passage-of-time
A young boy tends to a garden, re-telling the life story of his aging great-grandfather. The story reads simply in an unassuming tone, and can reach an audience age two to one hundred two. Grandpa Green beautifully introduces the concepts of aging family members and memory loss in a touching manner, culminating in a fold-out panoramic view of the garden of Grandpa Green’s life. Each page or so contains a line of text, but the illustrations are what makes this book excellent. There is contrast be...more
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Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but moved to Corona, California at a young age. He spent summers in Tulsa, however, and cites experiences there as inspirations for his work, saying that "[o]nce you've seen a 100-foot cement buffalo on top of a donut-stand (sic) in the middle of nowhere, you're never the same."
He studied art in college at the encouragement of his high school art teacher, helping...more
More about Lane Smith...
He studied art in college at the encouragement of his high school art teacher, helping...more
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Mar 14, 2012 08:27am