GRANDAD BILL'S SONG

Jon asks a question of the others who were close to Grandad too: "What did you do on the day Grandad died?" In adroitly phrased verse, Yolen offers their varied responses and treasured memories: Grandma wept and remembered the man she married; Uncle Steve thought of the strong young father who could do anything; Mama lied to herself ("My daddy's not dead"); old friend Sam Temple remembers a lifetime of sharing; Great Aunt Rose "died along with him...he was my childhood.... [but] Nothing really ends." Last, Dad helps Jon sort through his own mixed feelings. Mathis creates illustrations in three harmonizing techniques, depicting photos of times past in black and white, Jon and his relatives in highlighted taupe and charcoal, and their most vivid memories in vibrant colors that signify their continuing power. An unusually sensitive and carefully wrought evocation of the impact of a death on a loving family.(Picture book. 4-8)