The Devil Finds Work: An Essay

Nathaniel enjoys visiting his hundred-year-old grandfather, who serves up chicken salad sandwiches and tells wonderful stories, and when the elderly gentleman tires of his own stories, Nathaniel searches for a way to lift his grandfather's spirits.

Grade 1-3?Every day after school, Nathaniel and his 100-year-old great-grandfather share lemonade, chicken-salad sandwiches, and stories. Greatpaw tells wonderful tales about the old days, the Great War, and meeting Greatmaw. When the old man and the boy try to form a "Century Club" of other storytellers, they are disappointed when no one shows up. Nathaniel saves the situation by placing an ad in the paper and when 99-year-old Sadie Johannsen rings the doorbell with cookies and stories in abundance, the Chicken Salad Club is formed. The neighborhood children soon gather on the porch where "Sometimes Nathaniel and his friends tell stories of their own, but mostly they just listen." The soft, lively watercolor and colored-pencil drawings pull readers into the plot and will make their mouths water for lemonade and their spirits yearn for a good yarn. A delightful intergenerational book that promotes families, stories, and fun.?Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
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