The Pipi Swing

By Sarona Aiono-Iosefa

Illustrated by Bruce Potter

Reed Publishing, Auckland 2007

ISBN 9781869484408

Grandparents can teach their grandchildren so many things, and in this story Sarona Aiono-Iosefa shares how the family tradition of collecting seafood is passed on.

A 12 year old girl known only as “Sweetpea” lives with her mother, a lawyer, and they are still coming to terms with the death of her father four years previously when he was killed by a drunk driver.

Sweetpea is invited “dancing” by her grandparents, but the strange thing is she is told to wear her board shorts with her swimming togs underneath, and when they arrive she sees her grandparents are also wearing their beach clothing. They drive to the beach, walk down to the shallow water, and she is told to do the “twist” – they bend their knees and wiggle their hips and feet. Then Sweetpea feels something hard under her feet, and discovers she has found some pipi shellfish.

Sweetpea and her grandparents have a fun half hour at the beach doing the Pipi Swing  and collecting enough pipi for tea. But it is not only a time of dancing, it is the time she learns they used to bring her father to the beach to do the Pipi Swing when he was a boy, and they have found it hard to come back without him.

The death of a parent can be devastating for a child, but they don’t necessarily understand the impact on the adults in their family, or realise that person is someone else’s adult-child. This story shows how sharing with those you love can help everyone come to terms with the empty spaces in their lives.

For more information on this and Aiono-Iosefa’s book Two Cans Of Corned Beef And A Manulele In A Mango Tree: A Pacific Christmas  go to

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/622001.Sarona_Aiono_Iosefa

If you want to find out more about New Zealand shellfish, have a look at the Shellfish Identification Guide booklet at

www.arc.govt.nz/albany/.../Shellfish%20Identification%20Guide.pdf

Sunshine Home

By Eve Bunting

Illustrated by Diane De Groat

Clarion Books, New York 1994

ISBN  0-395-63309-5

Timothy is very fond of his grandmother,and when she falls and has to go to hospital he finds it hard to see her in her wheelchair. He knows his parents are upset about her injury and can’t understand why everyone is being very upbeat and happy when they visit. When he sees his grandmother in the hospital he is pleased to see that she looks well, “except that her hair is curly instead of straight” – even small things that make a loved one look different can be upsetting for young children who want to see the same person they are used to. He takes her for a walk around the room and they talk about things they can see outside the window and she asks if the finches still come to her window, so he is able to reassure her of this. They have to stop when the nurse brings Gram her dinner and he is embarrassed to see them put a bib around her neck – as is she.

When they leave the hospital Timothy’s mother bursts into tears and they have to wait for her to calm down, but then she realises she has forgotten to give her mother the new school photo of Timothy she had brought. Timothy returns to the ward and find his grandmother slumped down in her wheelchair “crying hard”. She tries to sit up straight but needs Timothy’s help as the seat belt has slipped higher on her body. She tells him not to tell his mother that she is upset and he begins to understand their bright behaviour when they were together – they were trying to protect the feelings of the other. He tells her his mother is crying as well and tells his Gram that it would be better if they were honest with each other about their feelings.

Timothy runs back outside and tells his parents that Gram needs them, so they hurry back inside. This time they are honest with each other and talk about how things really are, and Gram admits she is really wanting to be able to go back home again.

A sensitive story that parents can share with their children to help them talk about how beloved grandparents can be helped with love and honesty.

Review of this and other good books can be seen at

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/902101.Sunshine_Home

and

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/sunshine-home 

 

My Little Grandmother Often Forgets

Reeve Lindbergh

Illustrated by Kathryn Brown

Pub. Candlewick Press Massachusetts 2007

ISBN 978-0-7636-1989-3

Many people begin to find it difficult to remember things as they age, and the onset of Alzheimer disease in a family member can be very upsetting for others. This charming story with its quirky drawings handles this issue in a gentle and heartwarming way, and shows how children can help their affected grandparent with little things during the course of their day.

The young boy talks (in rhyme) about how his “little grandmother” – who is drawn not much taller than he – forgets simple things and becomes confused, so he and his parents need to keep finding things for her and reminding her where they are and what she is doing – “She doesn’t know why, and she doesn’t know how; when she thinks about THEN, she forgets about NOW.”

For primary-school aged children. Though they may not be able to read it for themselves, parents can read this with them and it would provide a safe opportunity to talk about their own family member and work out ways they can help them keep themselves safe.

For New Zealand families, Alzheimers New Zealand has a very useful website where they can learn more about this condition

http://www.alzheimers.org.nz/

Alzheimers New Zealand

is a support and advocacy organisation for people with dementia, their carers, family, whanau and community.  Dementia is a neurological disease which affects memory, cognitive function, personality, emotion and quality of life.

I Know a Lady
By Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrator James Stevenson
Pub. Greenwillow ooks, New York, 1992
ISBN 0-688-11519-5

Told from the perspective of the main protagonist, a young girl, this looks at an elderly woman who lives alone in their neighbourhood. She observes the changing seasons through the flowers growing in the lady’s garden, and likes being waved at when they are going to and from school. The elderly neighbour invites them in to share the different celebrations, and her home baking – her warm fire and candy apples at Halloween, her decorated tree and cookies at Christmas, and little cakes with yellow frosting at Easter. And what is really important to the narrator is that the little old lady always smiles at her and know her name is Sally and that her dog’s name is Matilda.

Many people have elderly neighbours, but they don’t all take the time to acknowledge and include them in their community. Zolotow’s charming story shows just how easy it is to create warm memories and learn from each other.

If you want to find out how to use this book in the classroom, you can find out more at

http://www.charlottezolotow.com/neighbors_&_neighborhoods.htm

Mr. George Baker

By Amy Hest

Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Candlewick Press, Massachusetts 2004

076361233-2

Historically the concept of a fully-literate community is a relatively recent phenomenon. In Mr. George Baker Amy Hest has paired a young white boy with a 100 year old Black American and is sending them both to school.

Harry runs over to sit on the porch step with Mr. George Baker every school morning and together they wait for the school bus. Harry is fascinated by everything about Mr. George Baker, and describes the clothes he wears - baggy pants held up with suspenders, pockets big enough to hold candy for them both, his crumpled hat, and his crumpled shoes with long shoelaces that don’t come undone, unlike his. Mr. George Baker shows him how to do a double knot so Harry’s shoes don’t come undone either. They both have red book bags, but Mr. George Baker can’t read the book he has inside as he has never learned how to read.

Mrs Baker comes out to give her husband his lunch bag, and he bows and invites her to dance on the lawn, after which she goes back into the house, giving Harry a wink and a wave and telling them to be good.

Harry and Mr. George Baker continue sitting on the front porch waiting for the school bus, and Mr. George Baker starts drumming on his knees – some people say he is a famous drummer man. Then the bus eventually arrives, they climb aboard and drive to school.

Mr and Mrs Baker show Harry that age and race are no barriers to friendship, and we are never too old to learn. What a wonderful message to share with any child.

You can read more about this book at Good Reads

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/305637.Mr_George_Baker 

A similar story is told in the movie The First Grader, which is about an 84 year old man in Kenya who is determined to learn to read and refuses to be denied the right to a free education. This is reviewed on the Rotten Tomatoes website

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_first_grader/

Taming the Taniwha

By Tim Tipene

Illustrator Henry Campbell

Huia Publishers, Aotearoa, New Zealand 2001

ISBN 1-877266-52-3

Tim Tipene is committed to the self-empowerment of children, “to equip children with the tools and skills to face whatever comes their way, now and in the future”.

Bullying at school is a fairly common occurrence and can have a seriously negative effect on children. In this story Tama enjoys school, but James, one of his classmates, picks on him and does his best to ruin his work, and even takes Tama’s lunch.

Over the course of a week Tama consults members of his family for ways to deal with the bully – the “taniwha” - but none of their suggestions work and Tama gets into even more trouble with James. Eventually Tama asks his grandfather how deal with the bully, and his suggestion is surprising – “You have to get to know the taniwha”. Over the next few days Tama gradually befriends James by sharing his lunch and asking him to play – James is surprised, but cooperates and they become friends. Tama’s grandfather’s understanding of human nature helps him solve the problem, and gives him strong strategies for living.

James is drawn as a scary, scaly, green taniwha, but over the course of the story, as Tama breaks down his aggression, his scales start to drop away, and by the end of the story he is just a regular boy.

The reasons for bullying are many and varied, but often it comes down to how the bully feels about themselves, and in this story being accepted by his classmate is enough to let James relax and cooperate.

Taming the Taniwha was selected for the White Ravens International Youth Library Catalogue as one of the world's top 250 children's books for 2002.

You can find out more about Tim Tipene’s programme for children at :

http://www.timtipene.com/

and

http://www.nobully.org.nz/advicep.htm

Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie
By Herman Parish
Illustrator Lynne Avril
Publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books, New York 2010
ISBN 0061964093

The original Amelia Bedelia books were written by Peggy Parish, the first published in 1963. Following her death in 1988 her nephew Herman Parish decided to continue them, with his first being published in 1995.

The range of Amelia Bedelia books includes early readers, but this particular book is for more skilled readers, or for an adult to share with children. Amelia tends to take things literally, so discussion on the dual meaning of some words is necessary with younger children.

In Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie Amelia is visiting her grandparents, and she and her grandfather are working in the garden. Granddad tells her to watch her step, and Amelia gets dizzy looking down at her feet while walking.

Grandma asks them to go to the farmers’ market for some apples to make a pie. This provides a learning opportunity for the reader as well as Amelia, as a double-page spread is included that shows a range of apple varieties.

Back home again, Amelia and her grandmother prepare the ingredients for the apple pie, and more misunderstandings occur. Grandma asks Amelia to get her “a little flour” and Amelia picks a flower she sees in a pot on the windowsill. Grandma tells her to “watch your fingers” when she is rolling out the dough, so Amelia lifts her hands and watches her fingers very carefully, wondering what that has to do with making a pie. For a sensible Grandma, she then makes an unwise choice and puts the baked pie outside to cool, where the birds destroy it, and they are left with the single small pie Amelia Bedelia has made, which the family shares when her parents arrive.

The relationship between Amelia Bedelia and her grandparents is relaxed and caring, and it provides a good example of the freedom some retired grandparents can have to spend time with their grandchildren. Teaching them gardening and baking are two positive examples, and with this book the recipe for the apple pie is included at the back.

Further discussion on this book is available on a number of book review sites, including

http://booksforkidsblog.blogspot.co.nz/2010/10/pastry-practice-amelia-bedelias-first.html

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

By Mem Fox and Julie Vivas

Pub. Scholastic Australia 1984

ISBN 978-7-86291-819-1

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is a young boy who lives with his parents next door to an old people’s home. He visits the old people and has come to know many of them, the things they like to do and the stories they tell, but he has a particular favourite, a woman who has four names, just like him. Her name is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, and he calls her “Miss Nancy”.

One day he hears his parents talking about Miss Nancy and how she is a “poor old thing” because she has lost her memory. Wilfrid Gordon asks what a memory is and his father tells him it is “something you remember”.  This isn’t quite enough information for Wilfrid Gordon so he visits the people at the home and asks them each to tell him what a memory is. What follows is a wonderful range of responses that cover the special nature of memory for each person at the old people’s home. Something warm, something from long ago, something that makes you cry, something that makes you laugh, and something as precious as gold

Wilfrid Gordon thinks about all these different things and decides to give some “memories” to Miss Nancy as she has lost her own. He searches his own home and finds things that meet the criteria of “memory” as described to him, and when he presents his basket of memories to Miss Nancy, each item triggers a special memory for her and she is able to remember her life.

This charming story, with the whimsical and quirky illustrations of Julie Vivas, shows the relationship between a child and elderly people who have lived long and rich lives, and are happy to share their time and experiences. There are a number of learning opportunities here : connections within communities; not all answers come from your own parents; everyone has their own story to tell and the importance of treating others with respect regardless of age.

More information on Mem Fox and Julie Vivas can be found at

http://www.memfox.net/welcome.html
www.scholastic.com.au/titles/possummagic/pdf/profile_julievivas.pdf

Rose meets Mr Wintergarten

By Bob Graham

Pub Walker Books Ltd, London 1992

ISBN 0-7445-9829-X

What a lovely choice of names Bob Graham has made for this story – foretelling the story to come. The Summer family moves into their new house where they plant many different colourful plants – his quirky illustrations show a happy family in the garden including a chicken digging in the wheelbarrow being pushed by Mrs Summer.

In contrast, the house next door is big, old and dark, and is so overgrown the sun doesn’t get through. The Summer children – Faith, Rose and baby Blossom – meet up with local children and hear scary stories about the man who lives there – he is apparently mean and horrible, has a dog like a wolf and a saltwater crocodile that he rides at night. Emily points out a football lost over the fence by her father when he was a boy, the ball now old and flat amongst the prickles, and warns that if their ball ever goes over just to forget about it. “And just then, Rose’s ball went straight over Mr Wintergarten’s fence!”

Rose tells her mother who suggests she just go and ask him for it back, and gives her some fresh baking to take. They all go next door and have to force open the gate which hasn’t been opened in years. There is a scary dog, so Mum makes friends with him by giving him a cake. Rose knocks on Mr Wintergarten’s front door and there is a shouted response. Mr Wintergarten is shown sitting at a long table in a dark room (reminiscent of Miss Haversham from Dicken’s Great Expectations). Rose introduces herself and explains why she is there but he growls at her and tells her to go away. After she has gone Mr Wintergarten looks at the bright posy of flowers and plate of baking that provide a colourful contrast to his plain and dark dinner table. He slowly gets up and opens his curtains, something he hasn’t done in years. He then goes outside and sits in the sun on his front step, feeding a cake to his dog and pondering on the fact that no one had ever asked for their ball back or brought him fairy cakes. He goes into the garden and find Rose’s ball – and then kicks the ball (and his slipper) back over the fence where it is caught by Rose. She praises his kick, he thanks her then asks for his slipper back. She throws it high in the air and over the fence where he catches it.

That is the end of the text, but the next double page spread shows the two houses – his yard cleared of the overgrowth, fences taken down, house repainted and Mr Wintergarten and his dog playing with the ball in the front garden, together with all the neighbourhood children.

The importance of keeping in touch with neighbours is well demonstrated in this delightful story. The elderly can learn from children, and in turn they can share their knowledge and energy with children, making our communities a safer and happier place to be.

Reviews of Rose and Mr Wintergarten and other great books can be read at
http://www.goodreads.com/

Our Grandparents : a Global Album

By Maya Ajmera, Sheila Kinkade and Cynthia Pon

With a foreword by Archbiship Desmond Tutu

Pub. Charlesbridge, M.A. 2010

ISBN 978-1-57091-458-4

This delightful book is a wonderful celebration of the relationship between children and their grandparents. There is little text and the colourful and heartwarming photos have been taken in numerous countries around the world. These photos show children and their grandparents experiencing precious times of fun, sharing and laughter – on their bottoms while ice-skating in the USA, kite flying in Germany, sharing food in Morocco – and not just family members from the same ethnic background, but showing the meld of ethnicity when the parents are from different cultures. There are certainly more photos from the USA (14 of 39 within the book itself), but this can be forgiven as this is an American book, and even those photos demonstrate the variety of ethnicities within that country.

In his foreword Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu talks of the special relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren, and the important responsibility grandparents have as valuable teachers and mentors to teach them Love. Compassion. Integrity. Perseverance. If we do our job well, our grandchildren will grow to have open minds and open hearts.

What an inspiring role for grandparents.

At the back of the book a world map is displayed, showing the countries from which the photos are taken, and this is followed by five suggested activities children could do with their grandparents. These help make this a useful resource book for primary school libraries.

Authors

Maya Ajmera is the founder and president of The Global Fund for Children. She is the co-author of several Global Fund for Children books, including Faith, Children of the U.S.A., and Children from Australia to Zimbabwe.

Sheila Kinkade is a writer and communications consultant who works to help nonprofit organizations tell their stories. She is the author of My Family, among other books.

Cynthia Pon is the director of Global fund for children Books and the co-author of Faith.

A note on the back cover advises that part of the proceeds from the sales of this book will be donated to The Global Fund for Children to support innovative community-based organisations that serve the world's most vulnerable children and youth.

For more information on Our Grandparents : a Global Album and other books published by Charlesbridge have a look at

http://www.charlesbridge.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=5232