Grandma's Feather Bed

by John Denver, Christopher Canyon (Illustrator)

The perfect gift for a grandchild, picture book for John Denver fans, and your kindergarten or preschool music classroom, Grandma's Feather Bed is a brightly illustrated, colorful kids book adaptation of John Denver's heartwarming song. The hardcover book comes with a CD so you can sing-a-long as you read-a-long! "Upbeat, funny and irresistibly singable," the song Grandma's Feather Bed was made famous by John Denver and now made "doubly memorable" by Christopher Canyon's delightful illustrations. Learn all about the cousins, the chicken pie, four hound dogs and a piggy, but "the best darn thing about Grandma's house was her great big feather bed." If you need the perfect John Denver song book, read along book with cd for kids, or preschool book with a cd, this is the book for you! Backmatter background on John Denver and the writing of Grandma's Feather Bed, including how it was inspired by Jim Connor's memories of his grandmother, and information on the illustrator, Christopher Canyon. Accolades for Grandma's Feather Benjamin Franklin Gold Award iParenting Media Award Moonbeam Children's Book Award ( Book with Music) Mom's Choice Award

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Childrens, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Family, Kids

36 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

John Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was an American folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician who was one of the most popular artists of the 1970s. He recorded and released some 300 songs, about half of which he had composed, and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977.

Denver's songs were suffused with a deep and abiding love of the natural world. Songs such as "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (1971), "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Calypso" (1975), "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "Rocky Mountain High" (1973) are popular worldwide. Denver has been referred to as "The Poet For the Planet", "Mother Nature's Son" (based on The Beatles song he covered) and "A Song's Best Friend".

Reviews

[Cindy Petzoldt]

Great for PreK Story Time. Read aloud slowly, adding a country twang and John Denver’s catchy rhythms, as the children hungrily absorb the glorious, riotous illustrations. Then show them “John Denver and Muppets” on YouTube. Play the video at least twice — the second and subsequent times, put the kids in a big circle (and a stretchy band if you have one), and laugh as you all try to keep up with the rapidity of the song. We joyfully bounced our stretchy band as we sang, swaying from side to side, lifting and lowering our hands. Or simply clap along.

Perfect for nasty weather days when recess is indoors.

I gave each teacher a coloring sheet I’d found online — search for “big bed.” Let the kiddos add “a piggy we stole from the shed” and other visuals from the song. “Didn’t get much sleep, but we had a lot of fun on Grandma’s feather bed!”

Here’s to Christopher Canyon for the hilarious illustrations!

[Glenda]

If you're a product of the 1970's, you know John Denver songs. Now three of them speak to young children in picture book format, and the illustrations are absolutely mesmerizing.

[Beverly]

I didn't like Canyon's illustrations in this book as much as I liked his illustrations in John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads (Audio CD Included), Sunshine on My Shoulders, and Ancient Rhymes: A Dolphin Lullaby With CD . But their silliness does match the spirit of the song.

[Miss Kelly]

I really enjoyed this picture book. The illustrations are really cute. The book comes with a cd. First, I love John Denver and I loved that this book is just the illustrated version of the song John Denver recorded. I love that in the back of the book it tells the story behind the song, GRANDMA'S FEATHER BED which was written by Jim Connor and "adopted" by John Denver. I looked this book up because the Buckeye Book Fair is coming to Wooster, Ohio soon and I say that Christopher Canyon, the illustrator to this book will be there. I think it would be neat to get Christopher Canyon to come visit our library for a program.

[Brittany Williams]

No Awards
Appropriate Grade Levels: PreK-K
This story is about a little boy telling a story about what it was like to go to his Grandma's house. He gave descriptions about what they would eat and do. Although, he focused a lot on his favorite bed!
I thought that this story was super cute! I think it could be relatable for a lot of children. I also love the illustrations.
You could use this story for a transition, because it isn't very long. You could also use it to have your students tell you about their favorite thing at their grandma's house (or another family member).

[Jackie316]

This book is awesome! The artwork is fantastic!

These books are only misleading in that they are "by John Denver". Technically, yes, the words to his songs are the stories here, but these were done after his death.

However, I think he'd have really loved these books, especially for his songs that were close to his heart like this one.

Kudos to Christopher Canyon & the Denver family for putting these out there.

[Ryk Stanton]

OMG, this book! I happened to come across it while looking at Epic with my five-year old and was thrilled — one of my favorite sings from way back when I was a kid, here lovingly illustrated and delightfully put together. Even fantastic lettering!

100% recommended!

[Brandy]

I loved this book. the words are the words from John Denver's song and the pictures are so much fun. I want more of this series.

[Stacie]

Who wouldn’t want to go to grandma’s house for a sleepover?? We loved doing that! Also, picture of the American Gothic house - which I’ve seen with my own eyes.

[Nichole]

This is an interesting idea. I think kids will find this funny.

[Fahula]

Does a song make for an interesting book? Not for me, no, but I’m not a John Denver fan or a fan of country living. The illustrations were more engaging, however.

[Sarah Limb]

The illustrations are a little busy so it was way too overwhelming. And the story is cute but I can see how this works better as a song.

[Brogan Blauer]

I think this book is so funny and it is easy to read! I totally recommend this amazing book!

[Gina]

Fun! This is an illustrated classic song from the 70s. I bought this for my grandchildren.

[Amanda Hall]

This book talked about a boys journey to his grandma's house and everyone that he saw there. The pictures in this book were really detailed and vibrant. This book also has a couple of pages that repeat. Putting this book in my classroom library would give my students the chance to read it and be imaginative, it can also help them reflect on their visits to their families and see if they experience what the boy is experiencing.

[Steve Holden]

I'm behind on my project due to a losing battle with the flu! As I'm recovered and catching up on reviews, I'm devoting my "past weekend" posts to a series of books by Christopher Canyon. Christopher Canyon lives in Columbus, OH, and visited our school a couple of years ago. He has taken John Denver songs, and turned them into lively picture books for children. The pictures in this one are silly and adventurous - to go along with the classic song. The lyrics of the song tell the story, and with all of these, the music can be found in the back. When Mr. Canyon visited our school, not only did he demonstrate and explain how the illustrations are completed, but he also performed the songs for our students. He was pretty good too! If you like John Denver's music, and you enjoy engaging picture books, check out Christopher Canyon's work.

[Ashley Soules]

This book's illustrations were busy, warm, and buggy. It had me smiling from start to finish. There was a sense of happiness, chaos, love, comfort, and family. It reminded me a lot of my family at my grandmother's house...I really enjoyed the illustrations that were in this book. i wasn't completely sure of the tune that I was supposed to be hearing in my hear as I read, but I'll have to figure that out another time. The story cracked me up, especially with the extremely tall feathered bed, and at the end where the boy said that he would rather have his grandmother's bed instead of the girl who was his grandma's neighbor.

[JustOneMoreBook.com]

We know, we know! Celebrity-linked children's books certainly don't need a mention from little old us, but with a song this belt-outable and illustrations so happy and full of popping off the page family fun, how could we resist?


Listen to our chat about Grandma's Feather Bed on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/1...

[Mackenzie Piper]

Oh my goodness! It's my childhood in a book!! I absolutely love this song; John Denver is classic, and I grew up listening to his music. The illustrations in this book are so perfect! They really accentuate on the comical aspect of this John Denver song, and since I like to laugh a ton this comical approach really appeals to me. The song takes on a more vibrant personality through these drawings, and I like it a lot. Heck, I love it!

[Sarah]

I grew up listening to John Denver records. Abashedly, I will admit to enjoying his music, even now. This book contains the lyrics and accompanying illustrations to one of his catchy tunes (catchy as in THIS SONG WILL GO THROUGH YOUR HEAD REPEATEDLY FOR AT LEAST THE REST OF THE DAY!) Comes with a complimentary CD for your listening pleasure.

[Megan MacDonald]

So many wonderful things going on in this story! The pages include rhyming words, and therefore this book could be used for younger aged children working on rhyming. The pictures are wonderful too! They are crazy and engaging and there is also a repeating phrase about grandma's bed that is always fun to follow. This was definitely a fun read that I believe young children would find hilarious.

[Annette]

The latest book in a series based on the songs of John Denver, Grandma's Feather Bed is one of the best. I particularly like to listen to the song along with the book. The illustrations match the song perfectly. I look forward to others in the series!

[Patricia]

Wonderfully whimsical artwork. Bright Bold colors. Lots for a child and adult to look at and comment on, while reading. A great storytime book for libraries. Includes the CD so the kids who never heard of John Denver can listen, and maybe learn the song.

[Contemplative]

Our family really enjoyed the John Denver series of children books. It brought back wonderful memories of our own childhood and growing up with his music. We enjoyed sharing this with our girls. Music cd was included.

[Paige]

I thought this book was really cute and perfect for elementary students. I loved the illustrations they were different but cool. I also love that the book is written as a song so fun and you can do so much with this in the classroom!

[Janine Abraham]

This book brings to life John Denver's song, Grandma's Feather Bed. It uses the actual lyrics of the song and puts them into a story, with hilarious pictures. This might be a great book to use in a classroom just for fun or relaxation, but also could be use to show rhyming.

[Brianna]

The original song by John Denver is already good and this book just adds a lot of fun to it. The pictures are very good and really help to picture the song better. I loved all of the pictures and I think they went perfectly with how funny the song is!

[Ashlynn Johnson]

I love this song and I love the pictures they have put with it. This is one of the songs my parents would always sing with us on road trips, so this book makes me unbelievably happy! The illustrations in this book are so cute and funny. They go great with the song and the fun spirit it brings.

[Rosa Cline]

In the back of the book is this song with the music. But throughout the storybook each page has a few lines of the song along with fun and crazy illustrations. My 3 year old granddaughter giggled as I read this to her.

[The Brothers]

While just the lyrics for the John Denver song, this book was fun because of the very kooky illustrations. Dex (4 y.o.) have a great time trying to find the narrator and the "piggy we stole from the shed" in the pages.