Are you looking for literature to support classroom instruction about Grandparents? Check out Our Editors’ Choices for titles recommended by the Education World team. Then it's your turn to share books that you enjoy or use in your classroom in the Our Readers’ Voices section below. With your help, we will build the best list on the Internet of Best Books for teaching about Grandparents.
Now One Foot, Now the Other
by Tomie dePaola
Bobby is named after his grandfather, Bob. Bob helps Bobby learn to walk, teaches him to build a block tower, and tells him stories. One day Bobby comes home and his grandfather isn't there. Bobby's parents tell him that his grandfather is sick and he doesn't remember who anyone is. At first Bobby is scared, but when he builds a block tower for Bob the way they used to do together, he knows that his grandfather remembers him. Slowly Bob starts to get better, and then it's Bobby's turn to teach his grandfather something important.
Song and Dance Man
by Karen Ackerman
Stephen Gammell's animated, crisp, colored pencil line drawings enhance this story of Grandpa, who was famous for his vaudeville song and dance. Clever details of his and his grandchildrens' personalities are consciously delineated as he now performs on his attic stage. The shadow and the performer, transformed by his art, complement the text tenderly. The spirit of song and dance are reflected in the careful placement of drawings and text; five times they stretch voluminously across double-page spreads. The accurate depiction of old age and the magic of the theater rhythmically combine like a dance with a solid beginning, middle, and end. (School Library Journal)
Now It's Your Turn!
We've shared a few Editors' Choices for teaching about this theme. Now it's your turn to contribute to the Readers' Voices section below. Do you have a book related to this theme that you and your students enjoy? Just click here to share it!
Don't miss our Editors’ Choices for Teachers and for Parents. We're waiting for you to add your Readers' Voices there too.
Abuela
by Arthur Dorros
This book is an innovative fantasy narrated by a Hispanic-American child who imagines she's rising into the air over the park and flying away with her loving, rosy-cheeked abuela (grandmother). From the air, they see Manhattan streets, docks, an airport, tourist attractions, and Rosalba's father's office. The simple text could be enjoyed as a read-aloud or as a read-alone for newly independent readers. What makes the book so interesting is Dorros's integration of Spanish words and phrases via Abuela's dialogue within the English text. While some phrases are translated by the child, others will be understood in context. As insurance, a glossary, which provides definitions and pronunciations, is appended. The illustrations sing out a celebration of the love and joy that underlies the brief, straightforward narrative. (School Library Journal)
The Wednesday Surprise
by Eve Bunting
On Wednesday evenings, Anna's grandmother visits and they read lots of books, all the while preparing a delightful birthday surprise for Anna's father. This book tells a loving story about a proud granddaughter and her successful efforts to teach her grandmother to read. A plug for literacy is just the bonus; the real focus is on the lessons old and young share when they learn to read each other's hearts. The Wednesday Surprise is a joyful surprise for any day of the week. (School Library Journal)
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs
by Tomie dePaola
In this poignant tale by award-winning artist and author Tomie dePaola, four-year-old Tommy loves to visit the house where his grandmother, Nana Downstairs, and his great-grandmother, Nana Upstairs, live. Every Sunday, Tommy and Nana Upstairs share candy and tell each other stories. But one day Tommy's mother tells him that Nana Upstairs won't be there anymore, and Tommy must struggle to understand what it means to lose someone he loves.
Add your voice to our list of books for teaching about Grandparents.
The Education World Editors’ Choices above represent just a handful of the fine books that might be used to support classroom instruction about Grandparents. Now we’re waiting for you to add to our list. Simply send us your review of a favorite book in 100 words or fewer and we will add it to the Readers’ Choices below.
Abuela
