Grandma's Gloves - Cecil Castellucci

Illustrated by Julia Denos
Candlewick, 2010
$15.99, 24 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: a sponged-looking orangy rust

I was so drawn by the cover and title of this book. And as I began reading it I was particularly tickled - I love books with smart, savvy grandmothrs that have great relationships with their grandchildren.
Then, five pages in, "Sometimes she repeats things. But I am very patient with her." Uh Oh.

Grandma hits the downward spiral fast - hospital, does not know her daughter or granddaughter, then dies. Needless to say, I was quite perplexed. And very sad.

The second half of the book deals with keepsakes and memories, what we share and what we savor about a loved one. It was a beautifully crafted message to us all. And once I stopped thinking of myself as a (very young, vital, with-it) grandmother I moved on to memories of my own grandmother, who helped raise me. I remember her gardening gloves, too, her always-blooming African violets, her rose bushes in the yard.

So, mixed personal feelings for me about this book. I guess the decline and loss of the grandmother simply took me by surprise.

It's really a wonderful book. But sad. Kids, particularly sensitive kids, should be prepared for what's going to happen.

The illustrations seems to be pencil and watercolor, and they're pretty darn wonderful. There are a couple that I really like - the two of them sitting at the kitchen table together and later, the full-page illustration of the girl sadly watering her grandmother's plants, in particular.

(NOTE: I went to Lowe's and purchased a pink African Violet this afternoon. Let's see if I can keep it alive, at least for a little while....)

Cecil Castellucci writes about how she came to write this book, her first picture book here.
Here's an intersting blog review by Book Reviews and More and another by Jean Little Library.

Cecil Castellucci's blog.
Julia Denos' blog.

Don't you love it that you can get to know authors and illustrators "up close and personal" by reading a blog they've written?