Gus and Grandpa at the Hospital

Gus and Grandpa #4

by Claudia Mills, Catherine Stock (Illustrator)

Children love reading with Gus and Grandpa

Gus and Grandpa love to answer mail. Shortly after they enter the lottery, Grandpa has a heart attack. Gus is afraid to visit the hospital, but as soon as he arrives, Grandpa makes him feel right at home. Grandpa teaches Gus how to raise and lower the bed, and gives him quarters for the soda machine. Still, Gus is eager to have Grandpa back where he belongs. Then Grandpa does go home. There's lots of mail, but no lottery prize. No matter, says Grandpa; being with his family again is better than ten million dollars. Gus agrees wholeheartedly. Once again, in gentle words and pictures, Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock celebrate an invaluable relationship.

Genres: Picture Books

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Claudia Mills is the author of Nixie Ness, Cooking Star, 7 x 9 = Trouble!, Zero Tolerance, Write This Down, and many other books for children. She was born in New York City in 1954. She received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College, her master's degree from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University. She also received an M.L.S. degree from the University of Maryland, with a concentration in children's literature. She had a second career as a professor of philosophy at the Colorado at Boulder, until leaving that career in 2014 to write full time. She now teaches in the graduate program in children's literature at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. All of her books have been written between 5 and 7 in the morning while drinking Swiss Miss hot chocolate.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/claudi...

Reviews

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gus and Grandpa at the hospital by Claudia Mills
Listened to this story and grandpa had a heart attack and Gus is scared of the hospital.
Gus visits and he helps to open the mail-he opens the mail from the lottery that they had picked numbers for...
As his mother brings him to the hospital she explains about tubes attached to his body. His dad comes out to bring him in.
Grandpa shows Gus how to adjust the bed and asks about the mail.
Was a long week til grandpa came home-he helped feed the dog, got mail, water grass and other chores he liked doing.
Gus has a surprise for him when he arrives back home...glad others help to get rid of fear from Gus.
They didn't win the lottery but grandpa has a surprise of his own and it's like winning a million dollars.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I don't know how old Grandpa is, but a diet that features biscuits & gravy and soda isn't ideal. Otoh, he is lean and active. I didn't care for this quite as much as for the others in the series, but it's important that kids with grandparents learn about hospitals and realize that sometimes elderly patients do get to go home from them.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alissa liked the ending when Grandpa said that being home with Gus, his parents and the dog is better than winning a million dollars.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely book. It's just too outdated with such a focus on mail, I think.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've read a couple of the books in the Gus and Grandpa series by Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock. We've really enjoyed the series - the stories are simple and warm and speak volumes about intergenerational relationships. The illustrations are soft watercolors, that have a timeless quality.

This is a wonderful story that gently explains about family members, especially older people like grandparents, getting sick and going into the hospital. It shows that, although it seems scary and unfamiliar, it can be a good experience. And it also shows how spending time with a family member in the hospital can help them relax and feel better. I like that it is a simple tale, told in a very ordinary manner without too much drama, but covers a very important topic for young children.

[Janice Villwock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gus and Grandpa are best buddies and anxiously wait everyday for the mail to come. They enter a Ten million dollar lottery and anxiously wait for news that they have won. Grandpa suffers a heart attack and Gus is apprehensive about visiting his grandpa in the hospital. Grandpa immediately puts Gus at ease and assures him that he will be home soon. The text is written in single line entry with water color illustrations on almost every page. Beginning readers will sympathize with Gus and realize along with Gus and Grandpa that being together is better than winning the lottery.

Language Arts

Students could have a discussion about having someone close to them in the hospital and how they felt.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gus and Grandpa love to answer mail. Shortly after they enter the lottery, Grandpa has a heart attack. Gus is afraid to visit the hospital, but as soon as he arrives, Grandpa makes him feel right at home. Grandpa teaches Gus how to raise and lower the bed, and gives him quarters for the soda machine. Still, Gus is eager to have Grandpa back where he belongs. Then Grandpa does go home. There's lots of mail, but no lottery prize. No matter, says Grandpa; being with his family again is better than ten million dollars. Gus agrees wholeheartedly. Once again, in gentle words and pictures, Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock celebrate an invaluable relationship.
A Junior Library Guild Selection

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

MCL. I liked the part when they said that everyone talked and barked at once.