Grandpa*s Amazing Computer

Thinking that his grandfather doesn't know anything about computers, ten-year-old Ollie is amazed when the old gentleman claims to have one of the world's oldest ones lying around somewhere

In this easy-to-read Swiss import, a boy visits his grandfather and they have a chat about computers, but that's not all that happens in tale that succeeds on several levels. A spiffy purple laptop resides on nine-year-old Ollie's desk. His father sells computers and his mother attends a computer show. Only Grandpa is out of step, a fact that keeps coming up during the boy's visit. Finally Grandpa boasts of the knowledge of some ``very old'' computers, made locally, portable and running on solar power. He brings forth a sunflower seed, programmed with the plans for constructing a plant and information on when to stop growing. After Ollie processes this information, he's excited to take the knowledge--and a sunflower seed--home to his father. The story highlights the boy's first independent trip on the train, and also explores a potential rift in his relationship with the older man; Ollie is unwittingly smug about his high-tech proclivities, but Grandpa knows how to smooth the way. Scheffler also presents complex biological information in an elementary manner. The watercolors capably portray the home, train trip, and countryside, and details of a little dog's antics add humor to many scenes. (Fiction. 6-11) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 2^-4. Ollie is a technologically advantaged 10-year-old, with a computer-dependent family. When Ollie goes to visit his grandfather, he suggests Grandpa could use a computer himself; Grandpa informs him he already owns an amazing computer, and eventually shows it to Ollie: a sunflower seed. Though comparing a computer with a sunflower seed may seem a bit of a stretch, kids will see the connection between the wonders computers perform and the arguably greater feats a sunflower seed can execute as it grows into a flower. In addition to this recognition, there is some mild suspense to keep readers interested--Ollie's grandfather doesn't let on what kind of computer he has, and the cover art offers few clues. Vibrant watercolor illustrations on almost every page help to break up some of the larger passages of text, though actual chapters would have been more appropriate. A small yet thought-provoking book. Elizabeth Drennan