My Grandpa's Chair

by June Clark

Overview

A young girl tries to help her grandfather find a new chair in this moving picture book about loss and how the love of family can warm even the most broken heart.
 
Julie’s grandfather is looking for a new chair. But no matter what kind of chair he tries, he can never seem to find the right one. Some chairs are too small; others are too soft. Some are too hard, while others are too fancy. Just when Grandfather thinks he’ll never find the right chair, Julie takes him to a park. And there, Grandfather finally finds the perfect seat . . . and discovers that it’s not about the chair you sit in, it’s about who is sitting next to you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524700751
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/19/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jiyeon Pak is originally from Seoul, South Korea, and now lives in Baltimore, MD. You can find her at hello-jiyeon.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Julie and her dog Mimi are on a quest for a new chair for Julie's grandfather, who has grown tired of his once beloved couch. No chair seems to suit him. "Some chairs were too small. The hard chair gave him back pain. The rocking chair made Grandpa dizzy. And some chairs were too soft." Julie and Mimi decide to order a chair made especially for Grandpa, made from only the finest materials, but he can't feel at ease around his new possession. His constant worry over the chair takes away the joy Julie hoped to provide him. Readers see how comfort can come from places we might least expect. This sweet story of devotion and dedication is brilliantly illustrated with colorful, textured full-spread depictions of the special intergenerational bond. VERDICT A great and heartwarming addition to any collection.—Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID

School Library Journal

2017-07-02
A granddaughter wants to find the perfect chair to cheer her grandfather up but learns it's the company you sit with that matters most. Grandpa used to love sitting on the couch and reading, but not anymore. His granddaughter, a little brunette with pigtail poofs, assumes the couch itself is the cause for his discontent, so she takes him furniture shopping. Together they test and measure their options until Grandpa orders a custom-built chair—that's too fancy to use. Hoping to lift his spirits, the peach-complexioned girl suggests the park, where, as they sit side by side on a stump and read, Grandpa finds his happy place. Playful end pages showcase the artist's strength at creating attractive and unusual elements with simple colors and patterns. This naïve style is applied with skill; however, the artist's use of digital tools to collage her elements yields work that lacks the spontaneity of analog. The girl's ebullience and the sheer good-heartedness of the story help to compensate for this. Observant readers may find cause for Grandpa's sadness, as framed pictures show Grandpa with a smiling, gray-haired woman who is absent from the story. Pak's heartening tale about intergenerational caring warms the soul. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews