The boy is afraid of the dark. His grandpa assures
him there’s nothing to be afraid of; that without the dark, the stars, moon and
planets would not be visible. So
they camp out together so grandpa can prove his point.
Grandpa is a gifted storyteller. He begins to
relate humorous imaginary adventures about travelling to the moon after having
built a rocket ship in the yard.
The stories begin to expand to include the
dog, and his cooking skills that produced unidentified
frying objects. He also shows the boy his scar where he split his sides laughing after taking laughing gas instead of oxygen on a space
walk.
But the boy’s got grandpa’s number! He loves being
with him; listening to his stories and having a laugh at his tall tales. He even
plays tricks on him. They always have fun together. His fear of the dark is
alleviated, as through grandpa’s stories, new and exciting adventures open up
to him.
I laughed from beginning to end with Paul Newman’s
clever word play. The happy atmospheric prose is a delight, filled with warmth,
togetherness, mutual love, and total trust from the child for the adult.
The front cover is spectacular; the illustrations
throughout are out of this world! Many are full page, full colour double
spreads that give a wider view of what’s happening in conjunction with the
text. The expressions on the characters’ faces are a delight. Amongst all the
carry on, what stands out is the strong bond between the child and grandparent.
And that’s what the book is all about.
Title:
Grandpa’s Space Adventure
Author:
Paul Newman
Illustrator:
Tom Jellett
Publisher:
Penguin Random House, $19.99
Publication
Date: 30 July 2018
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9780143785569
For
ages: 3+
Type:
Picture Book
