Review by Booklist Review
While his mom and dad are away, it's up to one young boy to supervise his visiting grandfather, and the first course of action is to hide. He employs several techniques to keep from laughing and giving away his location, which are captured in amusing, lightly colored digital artwork, as are recommendations for feeding one's elder deliciously unhealthy snacks (anything dipped in ketchup), taking him on a walk, entertaining him, waking him up from his nap (the best strategy is singing - On Top of Old Smokey' softly, then LOUDER and LOUDER), and getting everything cleaned up before the parental units return. The biggest challenge is saying good-bye but only until the somewhat addled but great sport of a grandpa returns again. The scenarios are familiar yet there aren't many audiences who won't appreciate and relate to these two family members who clearly love each other and enjoy spending time together. So who is really in charge here? Does it matter?--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-A boy's tips for babysitting a grandpa include hiding when he arrives; fixing snacks such as "anything dipped in ketchup"; looking for "lizards, cool rocks, and dandelion puffs" on walks; and so on. The endpapers have eight childlike drawings of child-grandparent interactions, and the book opens with a digitally rendered cartoonlike illustration of a spindly legged man sporting tufts of gray hair and carrying a small purple duffel bag. The parents leave, and the boy assures his grandfather, "Don't worry. They always come back," and the fun begins. In preparation for outdoor activities, the child advises bundling grandpa from head to toe in winter and slathering sunscreen on his bald head in summer. For indoor activities, "have him read a looooooooooong book" several times, guaranteed to put him to sleep. Of course, the house becomes quite messy and a hurried cleanup is in order before Mom and Dad return. The humorous illustrations include a snoozing grandpa with a meowing cat atop his head to wake him up. Youngsters will recognize some of the sayings they've heard from their own grandparents and will thoroughly enjoy the tongue-in-cheek role reversal.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A boy instructs the reader in the care of a grandfather (e.g., "When it's sunny, sunscreen up--especially the top of his head"); the unspoken joke, on which the mirthful digital art capitalizes, is that Grandpa is indulging the boy's fantasy. This is a welcome celebration of an intergenerational relationship that will feel cozy and familiar to most young readers. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
