Goldie's Guide to Grandchilding

by Clint McElroy, Eliza Kinkz (Illustrator)

From three-time #1 NYT Bestselling author of The Adventure Zone Graphic Novel series Clint McElroy comes a hilarious and heartwarming family picture book!

Little Goldie is an expert on grandchilding. She knows that grandparents are special creatures who thrive in a structured environment, need plenty of opportunities for imaginative play, love having dance parties, and will never turn down a cuddle. When it comes to the care and feeding of her beloved Grandpa, Goldie knows her stuff. And, as readers will discover, Grandpa knows a thing or two about grandchildren, too.

The beloved author (with his three sons) of the #1 NYT Bestselling Adventure Zone Graphic Novels, Clint McElroy is also grandfather to many grandchildren, all of whom are experts at grandchilding.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Humor, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Clint McElroy is the father of Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. He does the Adventure Zone podcast with them and has also appeared on several Maximum Fun donors-only bonus episodes.

Clint is the Ultimate Dad.

Reviews

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Goldie’s Guide to Grandchilding, written by Clint McElroy and illustrated by Eliza Kinkz, a goofy guidebook for the care and training of grandparents.

It’s grandparents day at school, and Goldie is more than happy to impart her wisdom on how to care for one’s grandparents. She can acknowledge that they are often silly – and occasionally smelly – but with a little work and a lot of patience, “you will find that grandparents can be loyal and loving companions.” Goldie goes over the do’s and don’ts of playtime, mealtime, exercise, and bedtime. She imparts helpful tips, such as keeping grandparents away from confusing technology and being patient when they ask you AGAIN if you have to use the potty. At the end of the day, grandparents can be a lot of work, but they are more than worth it!

I have some truly mixed feelings on this one. While several scenes are legitimately amusing (such as the idea that grandparents love to feed their grandkids all the things that parents say they can’t have) or tenderly touching (such as Goldie’s grandpa singing her a personalized version of “Rainbow Connection” at bedtime), much of the rest fell flat for me. Part of the problem is that Goldie’s grandpa has a very specific personality type: loud, gregarious, and incredibly fond of potty humor. For kids with this type of grandparent, they would probably get a laugh from this outrageous depiction, but readers whose grandpas are more introverted or fastidious will likely struggle to understand the humor, especially since the guidebook-style storytelling implies that Goldie’s grandpa is model of the average grandpa. Otherwise, the scribbly artwork is delightful and works very well with the theme, the length is fine, and while I am not a fan of potty humor, JJ (like most six-year-olds) is, and I’d be lying if I said she didn’t cackle maniacally at the fart jokes. Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of this one, but JJ was, and I think a lot of kids whose grandpas share the personality quirks of Goldie’s will as well. I would suggest giving it a quick read before deciding if it’s right for your family, but otherwise, Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super sweet picture book about a grandchild and her grandparent. About how to treat your grandparent from toys (no videogames or anything too fancy) to farts and cuddles to going for sundae, this girl has the best time with her grandfather and I just loved seeing them together. I found it fun that it was written as if it was a guide, supercute. And the art was sweet as well!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldie presents a class on grandchilding, which gives grandchildren all the tips they need to take care of their grandparents. Really does illustrate that the old and the young have a lot more in common than we might think. This would be a great book to give a soon-to-be grandparent or as a book to leave with a grandchild and a grandparent to read together. It is one of those books that I possibly like as an adult more than I would as a child, but if the adult reading it is having fun, it can rub off on the child. I also love that it looks like it was made by Goldie (lift the dust jacket to see the design on the physical book).

[Jody Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been looking forward to this ever since I heard the boys talking about it on MBMBAM. Really cute. I dig the art style of the illustrations, and the writing is amusing. A bit too many fart jokes is my biggest complaint, but I mean, it's a kids book. I read a lot of "artsy" picture books, but not every picture book needs to be some amazing work of art. Some just need to be fun and entertaining. This falls into the latter, and does so quite well in my opinion.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A savvy granddaughter presents a definitive guide to managing grandparents for children who might need some tips about dealing with playtime, restroom activities, feedings, exercise, certain bodily functions, and bedtime rituals. All recommendations have been grandpa tested and grandkid approved. Zany illustrations add to the fun these two have together.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 3 out of 5]

This idea is cute and some of the spreads are funny, but this book definitely outdates grandparents of today and seems like it was geared for grandparents of 20 years ago. Today's grandparents have been raised with and using technology, for instance.

[Lourdes Heuer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza Kinkz brings Grandpa and Goldie and their love for one another to life to in the most delightful way. A perfect book for the young and young at heart!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy McElroy projects. It's just the right amount of goofy.

[Meghan Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute, such a fun family read. Bought for my mothers birthday to give to the upcoming cutie!

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learn how to take care of your grandparents with this simple guide.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hysterical introduction to grandparents. Would be an amazing storytime book!

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Funny moments
As a grandparent myself, I felt the grandparent activities referenced were geared to my parents’ generation of grandparents

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the crayon-drawing style of the art, it definitely added a believable element that a young child wrote it in-book. The story was very cute.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this because I love the McElroys, but this is a perfectly cute children's book. I could see little kids finding it very fun.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! A few too many fart jokes and stereotyping of grandparents, but it's still cute and funny in parts.

[Tara DuBose-Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

On point!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly cute and funny! I’m going to force my whole family to read this! I just wish there was more!