Grandad's Island - Softcover

Benji Davies

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1471119955 ISBN 13: 9781471119958

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK, 2015

Synopsis

After the phenomenal success of The Storm Whale and On Sudden Hill, this new book by Benji Davies deals with the emotional topic of losing a grandparent. Subtly told, this beautifully illustrated book tackles a difficult subject with great sensitivity and depth.

About this title

About the Author:

Benji Davies is an illustrator and animation director. From a young age he was often to be found painting at the kitchen table, a scene which can still be seen to this day.
Benji studied animation at university, and has since worked on a diverse array of projects, from picture books and animated short films to music videos, commercials and title sequences. His books have been co-editioned in many languages and countries around the world. The Storm Whale is his first self-penned picture book.
He lives in London with his wife Nina.

Review:

Davies’s elegantly rough illustrations, evoking a child’s paintings, tap into the imagination of death with little fuss, and his story declines to offer kids instruction on how to feel. Indeed, “Grandad’s Island” doesn’t mention death at all, but is deeply in touch with the ways in which loss and abundance commingle in the mind, correcting and assuaging each other.
—The New York Times Book Review

The creator of The Storm Whale (2014) offers another thoughtful picture book guaranteed to spark discussion...Recommend to young families dealing with loss, especially those who prefer to gloss over the scientific realities.
—Booklist Online

In this gentle, magic-tinged allegory, Grandad lives in a small house back behind Syd's home. After opening a "big metal door" in Grandad's attic, the two are transported to the deck of a giant ocean liner, which towers over the neighboring buildings in their seaside town...As with The Storm Whale, Davies offers a story of loneliness and togetherness distinguished by understated, deeply felt emotions and a nautical milieu.
—Publishers Weekly

This book is innovative and useful as a way to talk about the idea of loss—without ever referring to actual death. Parents and educators can use this to talk with a child about how it’s normal to be sad and miss loved ones...Cheerful, brightly colored illustrations make this a fine choice to use with the youngest of audiences. Since death isn’t directly specified, this title also works for when a child’s loved one is moving far away. An excellent vehicle to gently approach the topic of loss. Recommended for collections needing these types of materials.
—School Library Journal

Grandad's Island by British author-illustrator Benji Davies (The Storm Whale; Bizzy Bear series) celebrates a close grandfather-grandson relationship with warmth and style. Whether it's read as a picture book about love, loss or just missing someone who isn't around anymore, it's a charmer. Cheerful cinematic spreads invite young readers into all sorts of intriguing places, from a cozy attic full of curiosities like a turtle teapot, to a vast ship's deck, to the deep jungle of an island paradise.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers

A resonant, layered tale that will only gain in texture as its readers get older.
—USA Today

Loss is reimagined, gently, in this story of the sweet, rich relationship between a boy and his grandfather who stay connected even when they are apart.
—The Boston Globe

Grandad’s Island provides a gentle and affirming look at how those we love will always be with us, no matter if they are near or far away.
—Books to Borrow...Books to Buy (Kendal A. Rautzhan column)

Grandad’s Island is a heartbreakingly beautiful story. I highly recommend this book.
—Chris Haughton

Wistful, tender, and lovely.
—Kirkus Reviews

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1471119955
• ISBN 13: 9781471119958
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32