{"id":22345,"date":"2014-02-06T23:57:05","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T03:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=22345"},"modified":"2014-02-06T23:57:05","modified_gmt":"2014-02-07T03:57:05","slug":"review-of-when-charley-met-grampa-by-amy-hest-and-helen-oxenbury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=22345","title":{"rendered":"Review of When Charley Met Grampa, by Amy Hest and Helen Oxenbury"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When Charley Met Grampa<\/em><\/p>\n

by Amy Hest
\nillustrated by Helen Oxenbury<\/p>\n

Candlewick Press, 2013. 36 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Even though I\u2019m not a dog person, this story of a boy and his puppy completely charmed me. Of course, I\u2019ve been a fan of Helen Oxenbury\u2019s pictures since my own son was small and we were all captivated by Tom and Pippo. The dog pictured here is so expressive and endearing, it\u2019s hard to imagine anyone not falling in love.<\/p>\n

The story is simple. Grampa is coming to visit Henry. Henry writes to tell Grampa about his new dog Charley. Grampa writes back that he\u2019s never been friends with a dog before.<\/p>\n

Then Henry and Charley go through the falling snow to the train station to meet Grampa. I love lines like this: \u201cCharley\u2019s tail was up in the air, which is code for I know the way to the station.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

They have to wait for the train, so Henry tells Charley about Grampa. The train finally comes and they meet Grampa, who asks Charley if he\u2019s friendly or fierce. On the way home, Grampa\u2019s green cap blows off his head, and Charley runs after it, getting lost in the snow. There\u2019s a page with both Henry and Grampa calling for Charley. \u201cAnd then he was there. With Grampa\u2019s green cap.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book ends as cozily as possible:<\/p>\n

That night Charley jumped on the bed with Grampa. He looked in Grampa\u2019s eyes and Grampa looked back, which is code for
\nI love you,
\n\tI love you,
\n\t\tI love you.<\/em><\/p>\n

They both fell asleep.
\nAnd Grampa snored wild.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Simply a cozy, warm, beautiful book about a boy, his dog, and his Grampa.<\/p>\n

candlewick.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/when_charley_met_grampa.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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