Grandparents Day

Today, here in the U.S., it is Grandparents Day. In honor of Grandparents Day and in appreciation for my grandparents and my children's grandparents, here are a few books about grandparents that I love. It is definitely not an all-inclusive list...just a few titles I have enjoyed.

I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada. It's great for so many of my students from hispanic or mixed backgrounds to read/hear a book that they can relate to. It's great for my own children who have English speaking grandparents and Spanish speaking grandparents. I love that it shows that while some parts of the culture are different, there are many commonalities and that both sides of the family love the grandchild. I love how at the end both sets of grandparents collaborate to give the little girl a very special birthday gift. It could also be used as a teaching tool in a bilingual class... for example, in English we capitalize days of the week but in Spanish they do not.

Grandad's Prayers of the Earth by Douglas Wood and illustrated by P.J.Lynch.
I think this is a beautifully written story...both the text and illustrations. It is spiritual in nature, but not really religious. The little boy loves spending time talking long walks with his grandad. One day he asks his grandad about prayers, and his grandad teaches him what he believes about prayers. His grandad said that all of the Earth is praying...the trees as they reach heavenward, because prayer is a way to reach heavenward and the rocks pray because they are still and silent and all the other parts of the Earth. I particularly love some of his wisdom about people's prayers...He says, "We pray because we are here--not to change the world, but to change ourselves. Because it is when we change ourselves...that the world is changed."

Oma's Quilt by Paulette Bourgeois, illustrated by Stephanie Jorisch. This is a sweet story where Oma has to leave her home to move into a retirement home. (This story touched me as my grandparents were moved into a hospice care facility a few months ago.) Oma does not like it at first, but her daughter and granddaughter create a quilt for her, filled with memories of her past. As she shares her stories and finds a place for herself within the retirement home (helping with the cooking 1 day a week, for example), she is able to accept the changes that have occurred.

The Squeaky Door by Margaret Read McDonald, illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma is a retelling of a Puerto Rican song "La Cama". This is a cute cumulative story in which the squeaky door keeps scaring the young boy so grandma keeps adding more animals to his bed.

Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clements is a funny story where Grandpa has dentures. But they have disappeared. And Grandpa suspects everyone... so everyone in town has to smile wide. Hilarious, great fun!

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say has beautiful illustrations and is another beautiful story. It is based on Say's grandfather's life...leaving Japan to come here to the U.S., then returning to Japan to marry. His grandfather loved both countries and longed to be in both places.

The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. (In fact, so many of Polacco's books deal with her relationship with her family...mom, dad, grandparents, that you could pick up most of them and they'd fit this theme. And in my opinion, they are all WONDERFUL!) This tells the story of her great-grandma who came from Russia with only a babushka and a dress. The dress was later turned into a quilt, along with pieces of other family member's clothes. The quilt was used for weddings and other celebrations for several generations.

Abuela by Arthur Dorros and illustrated by Elisa Kleven is another fun read. Rosalba goes for a ride on the bus with her grandma and imagines that they are flying through the air, seeing the sights of New York City. Has Spanish words peppered throughout. Fun!