Robert Lives With His Grandparents

by Martha Whitmore Hickman, Tim Hinton (Illustrator)

Because Robert's parents are divorced, he lives with his grandparents, so when his grandmother decides to attend Parents' Day at his school, he is afraid what the other kids will think of him.

Genres: Cultural, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up because this author was in a Tennessee Trivial question. This would be a good book to read to kids.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert lives with his grandparents after his parents divorce and his mom starts using drugs. He is happy there but doesn't want his friends to know he doesn't live with his parents.

[Zainab Faridi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert is a boy whose mother is a drug addict divorcee and unfit to take care of him. Robert then moves to his grandparents' house where he is loved and appreciated. However, being a teenage boy, he is embarrassed to admit to his friends that he lives with his grandparents instead of his parents. When the school holds a Parent's Day event, Robert is nervous about taking his grandmother. Through the course of the plot, Robert learns that living in an extended family is okay and that a lot of his friends don't live with parents either. By the end of the book, Robert is happy to be with his grandparents. I like that this book has an interesting plot line and can hold students' attention until the end. The language used is representative of the African-American cultural group and the characters are realistic and dynamic. However, the book does stereotype African-Americans by depicting a drug-addicted mother and estranged family members. Illustrations in this book are interesting and can be related directly to the text. Overall, I would recommend this book for educators to introduce extended family households to young readers.

[Tyra Denine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert is a character that represents many young children in todays drug infested world. I personally, know of parents who are on drugs, in prison, or simply unfit to raise their children. Thank goodness that Robert has his grandparents to live with, while his mother seeks help for her addiction!

Robert is apprehensive, even though moving with his grand-parents was his choice. He fears that they will be the oldest on parents day and questions may arise as to why he lives with them instead of his mother. At the end, he realizes that his worries were unfounded and learns to appreciate what he has.

[Jadai Mcgee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hickman,M.W.(1995).Robert lives with his Grandparents.Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.
Subgroup: Non-traditional Families
Genre: Fiction
Topics: living with grandparents, divorce
Synopsis: Robert is embarrassed to admit to his fellow classmates that he lives with his grandparents. He fears what his friends will think when his grandparents show up for parent fun night. He realizes that he shouldn't worry about what others think of his family and that his family is just fine the way it is.

[Roniqua Pitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert is a character that can relate to many children today. His mother is on drugs and is unable to take care of him. He choses to go and live with his grandparents. Even though he likes living with them he is worried about them coming to parent'night. He is afraid that they will be the oldest people there. The books features very nice watercolor illustrations ofthe African American family. The language is not to difficult which will let the children follow the story better.

[Andrea Retana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to read this to my students because it reflect the experience of many children. It is a great book to teach K- 3 grader students the value of having grandparents support.

[Sally]

Another helpful book from this author, about the feelings of a child who goes to live with his grandparents while his mother attempts to recover from drug addiction.