Some Fine Grampa! - Hardcover

Arkin, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060215348 ISBN 13: 9780060215347

Publisher: Harpercollins, 1995

Adjusting to a disrupted household when Grampa moves in, bringing with him a host of wild and amazing tales about his past, young Molly believes that the stories are wonderful, despite what her parents think

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-Molly's Grampa, who has just moved in with her family, tells fantastic stories about his adventures living with gorillas, visiting the moon, and wrestling an octopus. His friends include a French-speaking polar bear and the miniature King of England. Molly's parents are afraid Grampa is getting senile until an uproarious birthday party proves his tales are true. Most children will readily identify with Molly, who staunchly believes in her grandfather despite her parents' concerns. Families coping with actual dementia, however, may find the story somewhat disturbing. The book cannot seem to decide if it wants to present a real problem-the sadness families face when an aging relative loses touch with reality-or simply be a rollicking tale in which the oldest and youngest characters outsmart stuffy parents. The silliness of Zimmer's etched paintings adds a great deal to the humorous goings-on. The colors are bright, with pinks, purples, and greens punctuating darker backgrounds. Enjoy the book for its zaniness, but consider the serious undertone when recommending it to readers.?Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

When her aging Grampa comes to live with Molly and her family, he tells outlandish stories that, to her parents' chagrin, Molly believes wholeheartedly. Tipping his hat to the likes of tall-tale-teller Daniel Pinkwater, actor Arkin's (The Clearing) lengthy narrative is one in which the fantastic is the norm. In this world, sweater-knitting, French-speaking polar bears, moon-men and literate bees populate not only Grampa's amazing tales but, it emerges in the end, reality as well. Yet underlying the humor are concern and fear. Unlike Molly, her parents interpret Grampa's stories as signs that "his mind is wandering." Alzheimer's is suggested (Grampa often gets lost and forgets things). But the ending, which exonerates Grampa in a birthday bash attended by the polar bears et al., dismisses the substance, so that neither the light nor serious aspects of the story seem well served. Zimmer's (The Cow Is Mooing Anyhow) crowded, offbeat art, with its elfin characters and childlike interpretations of Grampa's antics (signed "art by Molly"), goes for the laughs without going over the top. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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