Kaddish for Grandpa in Jesus' Name Amen

by James Howe, Catherine Stock (Illustrator)

When Emily's grandfather dies, he has a Christian and a Jewish ceremony to honor both religions of the family and mark his passing in their own unique ways.

Genres: Picture Books, Religion, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Mirrordance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una delicatissima storia per bambini che racconta, con affetto e dolcezza, la morte del nonno ed il ricordo per lui.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice try.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When I was new, my grandpa was very old." With this line begins a lyrical, melodious look into the quiet sadness of one small girl for her grandpa when he dies.
James Howe has proven himself beyond a doubt, in my mind, as a master of picture book literature. The sadness that Emily, her father and the entire family feels when Grandpa dies will powerfully connect with any readers who have ever suffered any similar loss of their own.
"Kaddish for Grandpa in Jesus' Name Amen" is a quietly moving look at deep sadness, yet it touches on these issues so skillfully and so lightly that the reader's empathy will not be too painfully strong. This is a rare and very good picture book; in fact, it is right up there with the top picture books that I have ever read. It is a story that I would fondly recommend for anyone.

[Joan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book told from the point of view of a five year old girl who is experiencing the loss of her beloved grandfather. Her point of view is inspiring and sweet. How she merges her family's two faiths to mourn her grandfather in a way that is most meaningful to her is wonderful. I highly recommend this book and I especially recommend this book if you need to explain the death of a family member to a young child.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death is a difficult experience for a child. This is a wonderful book to aid your child in dealing with death, in this case the death of a beloved Grandfather.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story about a girl whose mother is Jewish and father is Christian. When her grandpa dies, they have a Christian funeral and also a Jewish Kaddish.