"It was Grandfather who taught me the names of all the shells: luck shells, boat shells, comb shells, winkles, and the rare queen's teacup, which washes up only once in a blue moon."
Jenny and her grandfather like to visit their local beach - Revere Beach in Boston - and yes this is a real place.
Her grandfather came to the US from Italy and as a young man worked in an Italian restaurant. Now he has retired and Jenny's parents run the restaurant. Grandfather has the time to look after and share his wisdom with Jenny but sadly he is coming to the end of his life.
Here is a special extract from this story:
"My parents worked late into the night, so it was Grandfather who spooned warm milk over my evening pudding. It was his hand that showed me how to button my buttons and how to draw J for Jenny. Into Grandfather's vest pocket went my first tooth, and to the ticking of his pocket watch I slept."
And my favourite scene is when Grandfather takes Jenny to the Jordan Marsh and Fliene department store.
"There the latest fashions from Paris and Milan are copied exactly from the downstairs models. They are painstakingly sewn from sippets of silk and organza stolen from the main racks at night. ... I tried on every outfit and modeled them for Grandfather. He sat patiently, leaning on his mother-of-pearl tipped walking stick and examining the tailoring carefully, as if we could have afforded them."
Two names jumped out at me from the cover of Following Grandfather - Rosemary Wells (author of all those wonderful books about Max and Ruby) and Christopher Denise (illustrator of Knight Owl).
Bookseller blurb (this book is from 2012 and so is now out of print):
Invisible to humans exists a parallel world of mice, where young Jenny misses her cherished grandfather so much that she begins to see him everywhere. Jenny is as close to her grandfather as a small mouse can be. Grandfather shows Jenny how to button her buttons and how to write her name. He passes along to her the secrets of making the best lasagna in all of Boston. And during long, shared days at Revere Beach, Grandfather teaches Jenny the names of the seashells they find washed up on shore. When Grandfather is all of a suddenly gone one day, the hole he leaves behind is too great for Jenny to fathom. Isn’t that him turning a corner, sitting on a bench, heading for the pier, walking along their beloved beach? Jenny runs after the familiar silver whiskers, hoping. ... Rosemary Wells peels back the layers of grief to reveal, at its core, something as exquisite and achingly beautiful as the rare and storied queen’s teacup seashell. Christopher Denise illustrates mid-century Boston with affection, and a mouse and her grandfather with gentle humor and unabashed sympathy.
This time spent together - old and young - made me think of this wonderful picture book:
I am an adult and I need to say that there is so much in this book that appeals to me, but I am not entirely sure if this is a book for very young readers. Not because of the content, even though the grandfather does die, but more because of the references to American culture and history and also the exploration of the concept of class and privilege. This quote explains this idea:
"I learned all the mice in the city and what they did to make a living. Grandfather tipped his hat to Senator Lodge himself and to the Cabot nursemaids, the fried-seed vendor, and the poorest rat who swept the sewers. Grandfather said hello to the world. I learned to say hello, too, in that way that made the world smile back."
Rosemary Wells expresses in a beautiful way sandcastles that are swept away by a rising tide - she calls them melting sandcastles and she also uses the delightful words 'crenellated tower' to describe the inside of one sandcastle. And you will want to think about the meaning of the title. And I do love the idea of collecting special shells.
Following Grandfather has 58 illustrated pages so it is a very quick book to read but if you read this book aloud in your family you may find yourself explaining these things:
- Meaning of the word 'revere': to be in awe of and respect deeply; venerate
- Places - Revere Beach in Boston; Holy Cross Cathedral on Washington Street; Martha's Vineyard.
- Italian foods - biscotti, gelato, mozzarella, cappolatte anisetto, tortellini, lasagna puttanesca
- Riding in a streetcar (we might call this a tram).
- Ship names 'Leonardo da Vinci'; Titanic; Carpathia and you will want to explore the sinking of the Titanic in more detail.
- Grandfather wears spats and has mother of pearl buttons
My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything explains her reservations about the audience for Following Grandfather in her blog post.
Beautifully written text and endearing gray-scale illustrations transport readers and add to the poignancy of the tale. The message that all people are worthy of respect is artfully delivered and the manner in which Jenny mourns her grandfather's death will evoke empathy from young readers who have suffered a similar loss. School Library Journal
Losing someone you love is always painful, but for the young such a loss can be devastating and incomprehensible. In this beautifully written and illustrated story, we come to appreciate how special Jenny’s grandfather is, and we see how the little mouse struggles to come to terms with her grief. Through the Looking Glass
Writing with tenderness and humor, Wells creates an authentic, parallel, mouse-sized world within Boston while introducing readers to human-sized devotion and grief in the fully developed relationship between Jenny and Grandfather. Kirkus
I do enjoy books about mice that incorporate the human world such as these:
