In Grandpa's House

by Philip Sendak

First edition hardcover with unclipped dust jacket, in very good condition. Light shelf wear to the jacket and page block, othewise as unread. LW

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Mathematics

42 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 1985

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Maurice Sendak's father was 74, he encouraged him to write a story about his boyhood in a Polish-Jewish shtetl, and how he ran away from home to come to America. The resulting story is really a story within a story; aboout a boy named David whose beloved Granfaher dies and his parents disappear. Then the story becomes a fantasy of magical adventures with giants, little people, big and little fish, slaves and masters, and a giant magical bird that transports David throughout his journey, both physically and emotionally.


I was attracted to this book because it was written by Maurice Sendak's father, and I was curious to find out some biographical information that perhaps inspired the younger Sendak's writing. In Grandpa's House is really an allegory of the immigrant experience and the terror of the Nazi regime. As a result, I think this book, as simple and brief as it is, could introduce middle school students to the literary device of allegory and how symbols, themes, and motifs can be discerned from the text. For example,David is flying over the countryside when he hears shots a sees a camp where "there are many people lying on the ground....others...men, women and children were arriving...surrounded by men with whips....the guards made everyone rise and drove them all into a cave . Each was given a shovel and made to work." This of course was the author's allusion to a concentration camp. There are several biblical references as well which can be inferred from the text which speak to the values and beliefs which the author wanted to express as the legacy he hoped future generations would embrace. The whimsical illustrations by Maurice Sendak enhance this fascinating collaboration between father and son, the past and the future, and generation and generation.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for what it is, which is a brief memoir of an old man who grew up in Poland before coming to the USA in 1913 - I wish there was more about that, actually. Then it is a made up story about a boy who flies on a bird and learns many lessons. I was very curious about what this book would be like, and I did enjoy it, but the writing was not the best. Surely if Philip Sendak was not Maurice Sendak's father, this probably would never have gotten published.

[Alexa Hutson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a story that Philip Sendak told his son Maurice Sendak. The book is interesting because it tells a story about the telling of a story. The Grandpa in the book sits down with the kids to tell the story of a boy named David and his long journey. We all know of books and stories that are meant to teach lessons, but this book puts an interesting spin on it. As David goes on his journey, he encounters many fantasy-like situations. He learns something new from each of the situations. Using the strange situations to learn from made this book a very interesting read. The book also has great detail, and Maurice Sendak's illustrations do an exquisite job of adding to the story. They help to put the perfect image of the story within the head of the reader as they follow David along his unexpected and strange journey.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this relatively short story. Maurice Sendak, the famous children's author of "Where the Wild Things Are", encouraged his father, Philip Sendak to write a children's story to distract him from his grief over his wife's death. Philip, who immigrated from Poland, tells a story much like his father would tell a story....and so ensues a story much like Gulliver's travels but with a Jewish bent. And so, Maurice honors his father's memory with this published book and reminds us all that there is no greater gift a grandparent can give their grandchild then the love it requires to patiently and creatively tell a story that results in the important lessons in life...love, respect and courage.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up while browsing the children's section of my library. It looked like a short read and had an interesting plot. A fan of Sendak's work I wanted to see this short story written by his grandson. I really wanted to like it. The moral and ethics of the story had good intention, and the pen and ink illustrations were beautiful, but other than that the story itself was a little disorganized making it hard to follow along. I understand it is a collection of short stories and usually like short stories. This one though, it just did not flow as well as I would have liked. Not a bad story just not what I was expecting based on the information on the jacket.

[Liza Maggio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the history behind this book, and the life lessons imparted. I liked the sneak peak at life in Eastern Europe. The illustrations convey care and effort; still the prose and/or translation are quite poor. To me, the pictures are a bit creepy. I get that the point is, in part, to give the author a chance to speak in unadorned plain language. Who is the intended audience? Certainly, not little kids. Maybe this would have been better as a part of a larger collection.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little challenging... it's very bittersweet, with more emphasis on the bitter perhaps. An old European folktale-ish story, of the rambling kind (think Pinocchio), without much of a takeaway. Perhaps this is better to read as cultural history (and I guess we're supposed to, given the Sendak emphasis) than as literature?

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a piece of history this is great, and reading the "about the text" pages gave it all context. I'm not too sure kids would actually like it. The stories are a bit disjointed (explained in the the 'about' section). I read the 1985 British hardcover, so not sure if the pictures are more prominent in later editions. Sendak's drawing are always lovely and fun.

[Linda Lipko]

No stars for this book.

This was a big disappointment to me. While I think the illustrations are nice (not great), the story line fell flat.

[Ambrose Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually 3 1/2 stars for a disjointed story with some good illustrations.

[Marcia Shimshak · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was very disappointing for I couldn’t follow it as it was disjointed and dark.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely short read! I appreciate “hearing the voice” of Maurice Sendak’s father, Philip; his heritage and life-experience come through in this sweet adventure meant to impart some basic life-lessons to the reader. I enjoyed the biographical portion, as well as the “story within a story” which is the bulk of this short book.

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat to find this book written by Maurice Sendak's father about his life in Poland and a story from his youth. The immigrant experience. Makes me understand where Maurice got his fanciful ideas.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maurice Sendak’s drawings add a lot to his father’s folk tale or fable.

[Carol C]

Reading the background info about the story helped me appreciate this more. Most useful as insight into Maurice Sendak himself.

[Anna Hofmann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to like it because it's a family story. But wow...not in a good way.

[Paul Hankins]

Philip Sendak's story/account as shared with his son, Maurice, who illustrates the story. A beautiful example of capturing the oral tradition for future generations. The length of the story makes for a potentially wonderful read aloud with a real payoff at the end.