Where Is Grandpa?

by T.A. Barron, Chris Soentpiet (Illustrator)

Where is Grandpa? This question haunts a young boy on the day his grandpa dies. Grandpa has been so richly present in so many places--at the tree house, at the waterfall, at the door ready to carve pumpkins. But where is he now? As the boy searches for an answer, he makes a surprising perhaps Grandpa is closer to home than anyone ever realized. In this deeply moving tale, the poetic words of T. A. Barron and the luminous illustrations of Chris K. Soentpiet remind us all that a family's sorrow can be shared--and that even in the greatest loss, love can still be found.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Death, Grief

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

T. A. Barron is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 highly acclaimed books, including the Merlin Saga, being developed into a feature film by Disney.

Awarded the de Grummond Medallion for “lifetime contribution to the field of children’s and young adult literature,” he also serves on a variety of environmental and educational NGO boards. In 2001, he founded the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, a national award for outstanding young people.

A lifelong adventurer and conservationist, T. A. Barron draws inspiration from the natural world, especially the mountains of Colorado, where he lives.

Follow along on Instagram or TikTok and sign up for his newsletter  — he loves staying in touch with his fans!

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story about a family remembering the Grandfather who passed away paired with magnificent watercolor paintings. However, the father in the story gives a piss poor explanation of Heaven; telling his son that it is "any place where people who love each other have shared some time together." All Christians know, however, that Heaven is where God is, and where we will live with Him forever.

[Courtney Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a little boy who found out his grandfather who just died. After the little boy's dad comes home, the whole family gathers around each other and talks about the best memories they remember when they think about their grandfather. The little boy remained quiet, until the end and then he ask," Where is Grandpa now?" The father responded heave and then went on to say that heaven is different for everyone and for them its where their memories are.

I really like this book. I like the way they talk about death and how it is a sad part of life, but I do like how they talk about all of the positive memories they associated with their grandpa. The illustrations are also very well done.

I think that this book could be used for many different things. We could talk about the different seasons, colors, emotions and body language. The book also contains some vocabulary that the client might not know, so the therapist go elaborate on some terms.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soon as you open up this beautifully illustrated book about bereavement, you may feel comfort. Sweetness. Peace.

Artist Chris K. Soentpiet does a marvellous job all the way through, giving substance and physical depth to the powerful imagery offered by author T.A. Barron.

This is an ambitious book, spiritually ambitious. Tackling the topic of death in a picture book? I'd call that very courageous indeed. Bringing home this topic, the author builds his book around the recent death of the narrator's grandfather. Here's a sample of the author's eloquence:

Dad is telling a story about a time when his father (the narrator's grandfather):

threw me onto his shoulders
and took me up into the hills.
Mist flowed everywhere....
Suddenly we stood face-to-face
with a ponderosa pine,
so enormous we could only reach
a little way around the trunk....
it still stood tall, like the tower
of a ruined castle.

FIVE STARS for this so-beautiful book!

[Marly Uncapher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tackles the difficult subject of death in a delicate, real life way. When a little boy's grandpa passes away, his family remembers all the things that remind them of grandpa and where they will always be able to find him.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out with a boy talking about his grandpa and the tree house he built him that he loved. But then his Grandpa dies. His family starts to remember and talk about memories with their grandpa. The little boy is sad and just wonders where his grandpa is now.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated. An important lesson - some ppl still feel uncomfortable talking with their families about their loss, and yet it is important to do so.

[Madeline Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could help children struggling with a recent death. It shows that even if they are gone it doesn't mean they aren't always with you. I really enjoyed this story.

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant, sensitive, and spiritually evocative. Beautiful illustrations to match. Recommend for all families with small children.

[Jenny J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked how the book showed various reactions that happen upon hearing about a death however I didn’t like the way heaven was described...

[Jessica Breighner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is Grandpa?
BY, T.A. Barron
1. Summary of story:
This story may be useful for parents who want to encourage children to talk about a death in the family. A little boy talks about the day his grandfather died, how the family talked about all the good times together and how much they would miss him. This is thoughtfully and beautifully written. When the child asks his dad, “Where is heaven?”, the father responds by saying, "any place where people who love each other have shared some time together." and the text is suitable for readers 7 and up, or read aloud to ages 4 and up.
2. Reading Level is for fluent readers and the genre is fiction. The topic is of dealing with death.
3. Specific curricular uses: Independent reading for a more comfortable, and less upsetting environment. Shared reading is more suited for an audience that is dealing with similar issues.
4. Social issues the book addresses: grieving and coping with death
5. Specific literary elements the book demonstrates:
The majority of the story is a summary narration because the characters are having flashbacks of memories to carry the story. The narrator is a young boy allowing the reader to witness his family in a time of grieving and mourning for their beloved grandfather. The words also beautifully describe the images of their scenic surroundings.
6. Interactions & counteractions of the text & image
Each page features full-color illustrations, to help guide the reader through the text.

[Britt Kitko]

Summary:Where is Grandpa? That question haunts a young boy on the day his grandpa dies. Grandpa has been so richly present, so many places--at the tree house, at the waterfall, at the door ready to carve pumpkins. It's hard to imagine life without him. Yet now he seems very far away indeed.
As the boy remembers Grandpa with his family, he discovers a surprising answer: Grandpa, perhaps, is closer to home than anyone ever realized.
In this deeply moving tale, the poetic words of T.A. Barron and the luminous illustrations of Chris K. Soentpiet remind us all that a family's sorrow can be shared-and that even in the greatest loss, love can still be found.

Audience:
- Reading level- Fluent
- Topic- Losing grandparents, death
- Genre- Realistic Fiction

Curricular uses: Independent reading- Could be recommended for a child who just lost their own grandpa. This book could make the child cope with their lose better.

Social Issues: dealing with death, grief

Literary elements: Through poetic words, the author is able to bring together everyones memories of their beloved family member to make the grieving process easier to deal with. The young boy has a conflict vs. himself in trying to figure out where his much missed grandpa is now.

Interactions and counteractions of text and image: The images of the book express the sadness of the story and the colors on each page do, too.

[Katie]

1. Summary: Where is Grandpa? That question haunts a young boy on the day his grandpa dies. Grandpa has been so richly present, so many places--at the tree house, at the waterfall, at the door ready to carve pumpkins. It's hard to imagine life without him. Yet now he seems very far away indeed.
As the boy remembers Grandpa with his family, he discovers a surprising answer: Grandpa, perhaps, is closer to home than anyone ever realized.
In this deeply moving tale, the poetic words of T.A. Barron and the luminous illustrations of Chris K. Soentpiet remind us all that a family's sorrow can be shared-and that even in the greatest loss, love can still be found.

2. Reading Level: Fluent

3. Genre: Fiction

4. Specific curricular uses: Independent reading, shared reading

5. Social issues the book addresses: grieving, coping

6. Specific literary elements the book demonstrates: The majority of the story is summary narration because the character’s are having flashbacks of memories to carry the story. The narrator is a young boy allowing the reader to witness his family in a time of grieiving and mourning for their beloved grandfather. The words beautifully describe the images of their scenic surroundings, too.

7. Interactions & counteractions of the text & image

[Kelly Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

personal reaction- I really enjoyed this book because it made me think of my grandpa. My grandpa is the only grandparent i have lost. When i had to go through his death, it was very hard. But if i were read this book, i think i would have been able to understand his death better. I also really enjoyed this story because of the life like illustrations flowing from page to page. This helped the story to become very relate-able.

purpose/use in the classroom- This story would be an excellent read aloud to second graders and older. This story would be a great story to read to students when a grandparent dies. It doesn't necessarily need to be a grandpa, it can be any grandparent a student may have lost. This book is also a great book to help students understand what happens after death and where people go. The concept of Heaven is discussed. This book would be a great read aloud in a religion unit in a catholic school when talking about Heaven. The life like illustrations will help students to be able to connect to the story and follow along when they may have lost a grandparent of their own. Overall this is a great read aloud for students to help them feel not alone when dealing with the sad and difficult situation of death.

[Sarah Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: This was a really cool book, that I thoroughly enjoyed! It reminded me of my Grandpa, and the things I used to do with him. It was really well told, with a good ending that made me smile.

Purposes: Read aloud for enrichment.
-Read a loud to 3rd through 5th graders. This is a book that kids can relate to if they have lost a grandparent. The little boy in this story seems to be around the age the students would be, so they can relate with him.
-The illustrations are really life life, which helps make the characters seem very real. They are also really colorful illustrations, so students will enjoy looking at them. All the words are always on the left side of the page, while the picture takes up the whole rest of the page. This really puts an emphasis on the pictures!
-At the end of the book, the boy asks "Where is Grandpa now?" Many students have probably thought the same thing. In the story, it explains he is in Heaven and is in every place the little boy remembers hanging out with him. This is a good perspective, and one that kids will willingly accept and will most likely make them happy thinking about their grandparent.

[typewriterdeluxe · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with any picture book tackling a difficult subject, it's a tall order to try to fit everyone's needs into one book. Books can end up too vague and shallow and helpful to no one, or only applicable to a specific audience. Where's Grandpa? falls into that very specific category.

Where's Grandpa? is not my cup of tea. I am glad it exists, however, so that its intended audience can find some comfort (or start to have conversations about death) through a picture book.

I imagine this book will fit in best with readers from rural or outdoorsy families, who can relate to memories in nature with loved ones. It will also fit in with readers who like the idea of imagining heaven as "any place when people who love each other have spent some time together" and their spirit resting in the places of those happy memories.

[Heather Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is sad, but of course that's because it deals with the death of a loved one. The writing is very simple so that it can be easily read to or read by young children. It shares each of the family member's memories of Grandpa and it's told from the point of view of the youngest brother. It would be a good book to go to when explaining death to a child, but there is nothing extraordinary about the text itself. The natural imagery used in the story and illustrations is beautiful, but some of the activities/references might not be relatable for kids who live in more urban areas. I personally love the illustrations more than the text; Chris K. Soentpiet created beautiful watercolors that made excellent use of light.

[Gracie Larcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where is Grandpa? is a book that tugs at your heart strings and embarrassingly enough I teared up reading it. The story is sweet and heart warming, and the pictures only enhance it.

Where is Grandpa? tells a story of a young boy who looses his grandfather and questions where someone goes when they die. This book may not be ideal to read aloud because of how relatable it is, it may upset students who have lost someone like this. But I do think it would be great to bring to a student who is going through the lose of someone because it may help them sort through their feelings and at the same time showing them they are not alone. The book would really be appropriate for any aged elementary student because of the story itself, but overall the language is fairly simple.

[Dana Mustafa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows a young boy who is very attached to his Grandpa and loves him. He finds out about his Grandpa's death and how to cope, realizing his Grandpa is probably closer now than he thought. Everything about this book is a great read and allows a child to understand death and how to deal with it. From Barron's poetic words, to Soenpiet's illustrations you can't put the book down. it is very well written and the illustrations allow the book to give more meaning. You really feel close with the little boy throughout the whole book. The illustrations are just phenomenal.

[Kristin Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children have many questions when they loss a loved one and this story brings out many of those questions. The book is sad and addresses things that are hard to talk about but need to be. One thing that can be taught from this story is how to keep those memories with the loved one alive and cope with losing them at the same time. Having the students tell stories about someone they lost and explaining to them that those our good times will be part of the healing processes. The students will love telling stories about their grandma or grandpa.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is Grandpa? This question haunts a young boy on the day his grandpa dies. Grandpa has been so richly present in so many places--at the tree house, at the waterfall, at the door ready to carve pumpkins. But where is he now? As the boy searches for an answer, he makes a surprising discovery: perhaps Grandpa is closer to home than anyone ever realized. In this deeply moving tale, the poetic words of T. A. Barron and the luminous illustrations of Chris K. Soentpiet remind us all that a family's sorrow can be shared--and that even in the greatest loss, love can still be found.

[Katey · Rating 3 out of 5]

CIP/Summary: As his family reminisces after his beloved grandpa's death, a boy realizes he is still with him in all the special places they shared.

Though the story feels a little flat, the author does a good job of dealing with the concept of death and heaven on a concrete level and showing how people cope with grief.

Favorably reviewed in SLJ and Publisher's Weekly.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork, thought-provoking text about the death of a loved one and what the person has taught us. THere is an awkward (realistic) explanation of heaven (read New Age concept). Unfortunately, selecting that term, the author still chose a polytheistic explanation instead of a scriptural evaluation of what heaven is like, choosing instead to keep grandpa in trees and hills on earth.

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

FYI, this book is not about playing hide-and-go-seek with Grandpa. I found that out on page 3 when it said, "That's the day that Grandpa died." It was kind of freaky reading this to my five-year-old and just then figuring out what it was about. Plus, the theology in the book is all messed up. "Heaven is everywhere." It's a bit new-agey for my taste.

[Elizabeth Smitheram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures' simply beautiful. The story is about a boy who loves his grandpa and what he does when his grandpa dies. This is a good book, but could upset kids if they are not mature or kids may not understand the concept of death if they are not old enough. I would have this book at home, but not at school. Overall, a really heartfelt book though.

[Morgen Shambaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very touching. Many children lose their grandparents in elementary school or later in life, and it is a good representation of how this sorrow can be a mutual feeling. This little boy comes to realize that his grandpa will always be close and watching over him, maybe even closer than he was before. So I think this book helps find peace in those who have been loved and then gone.

[Kristen Futrell]

Death is a reality we will all face. Young children struggling understanding and coping with great loss. This book can be used to help those children who have suffered a great loss and help them begin to understand the healing process. Grief is an overwhelming emotion. This book can bridge the gap between adult and student to help the child understand their emotions.

[Marissa Lubinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I think all children who have lose someone special in their lives should read this because it is very comforting. In the story the Grandpa dies, and the family goes around telling their favorite memories with Grandpa. The boy won't tell his though because he is too sad. The boy asks where is Grandpa and the Dad tells him heaven where all the favorite memories are.

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the day a young boy's grandfather dies, the question on his mind is "Where is he now?" As his family remembers good times with Grandpa, they begin to realize he is still around them, just not in the same way.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the pictures in this book, because it is vivid and I can feel emotion that conveys. It's a story that talk about everyone in the family are really miss their grandpa, because their grandpa passed away. Everybody shares their own story to each other, and I think this screen is touch to me.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Where Is Grandpa?" address dealing with the loss of a loved one, specifically a Grandpa. I like how this book emphasizes the importance of remember the good times spent with the deceased.