Grandpa Green

Author & Illustrator:   Lane Smith
Publisher:  Roaring Brook Press
Publication Year:   2011
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Caldecott Honor, Publisher's Weekly Best Books, School Library Journal Best Books,

Summary:  This is the story of a great-grandfather told through the eyes of his great-grandson. Grandpa Green was born and grew up on a farm. He built an incredible topiary filled garden with scenes from his life, but now he's starting to forget things. The garden remembers for him. The gorgeous pen and ink drawings with splashes of color, mostly green, just drew me into the amazingly detailed world. I honestly wanted to take off down the pebbled path into the garden.  This book is a feast for the eyes to stare at for hours.

Classroom Ideas: This would be a great introduction to horticulture (the word is used in the book) and topiary. It also would speak to aging and Alzheimer's in a very gentle way. Even though Grandpa never speaks, we learn a lot about him and it would be interesting to do a character study and describe him (and the grandson as well).