Grumpy Grandpa

Jack has a grumpy grandpa, and he calls him that, even though he's not supposed to. But it's true. Grandpa is grumpy--and a little scary, too. He has hair where other people do not have hair, and his teeth don't stay in his mouth. You'd have to be crazy to live with Grandpa . . . or as brave as a lion tamer, like Jack's aunt and uncle. But the truth is, Grandpa didn't always have hair and teeth in weird places. In fact, Grandpa wasn't even always grumpy. A book that closes the generation gap one little bit, Grumpy Grandpa captures childhood and grandpa-hood with humor, hyperbole, and heart

"The boy who narrates Henson's (The Book Woman) story shudders at his grandfather's gruff temper and false teeth, and draws rude caricatures of a cross-eyed, flushed bald man. 'Mom gets mad, but it's true,' he insists. 'Grumpy Grandpa is always grumpy. And he's scary, too.' The boy and his parents visit Grandpa's farm, which is 'really quiet' except for Grumpy Grandpa's snoring or yelling. And, each day, Grumpy Grandpa and his dog 'disappear' in an old-fashioned pickup truck: 'You'd think the dog would need a break, but he sticks to Grumpy Grandpa like glue.' Although the narrative is told from the boy's perspective, the illustrations reveal more to the story. After the grandfather overhears his grandson's complaints, he takes the boy along to his getaway, his childhood fishing hole. MacDonald (Bye-bye, Crib) pictures a quaint and ruddy middle-American group, the women in skirts and the men in overalls (they even serve heaping plates of flapjacks). If the setting is anachronistic, the theme is perennial and wishful: misanthropes can forget 'what it was like to be little' and moody relatives might be worth getting to know. Ages 4-8." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Jack has a grumpy grandpa, and he calls him that, even though he's not supposed to. A book that closes the generation gap just a little bit, "Grumpy Grandpa" captures childhood and grandpa-hood with humor, hyperbole, and heart. Full color.

Heather Henson grew up in Kentucky and recently returned to her home state after spending many years in Brooklyn, New York, where she worked as an editor of children's books and a freelance writer. She now lives on a farm with her husband, Tim and three children, and is the author of several picture books and novels, including That Book Woman.