Renee Londner

There are two reasons I liked this book: the subject matter and the illustrations. The book deals with the topic of death. The main character’s grandfather has died and he goes through a “year of firsts” without him. However, the family is Jewish and the book does an excellent job of showing the uniqueness of their culture and their similarities with all people. The author describes spinning a dreidel, building a sukkah, and wearing costumes for Purim.

Yet, the author uses universal concepts as well such as watching stars and catching frogs. I think the way the information is presented shows how Jewish is culture is different in some ways and the same in others. I liked how this allows the reader to connect with the family and possibly learn something new about another way of life.

The illustrations bring the story to life. Although the story is about a family member’s passing, most of the illustrations are bright and happy. The boy is smiling remembering his grandfather with his parents. The illustrations show him dressing up in costumes with his grandfather and frog catching. There is only one picture wear the boy’s mother sheds a single tear. I liked that the illustrations emphasized that remembering the positive times is more important to grieving than being sad.

The big idea or theme of the book is remembering a life. The story is not about how sad the characters are, but how vibrant the grandfather’s life was and how grateful the family was to have had him. I think the idea is to recall good memories with a smile and not to cry over what is lost. I liked the book immensely and thought it presented its ideas in an entertaining way.… (altro)