FARAWAY GRANDPA

Every summer, Kathleen and her parents hitch up the horses and visit Grandpa Danny. She receives a letter (dated 1915) telling her to be sure and bring the words to “Danny Boy” so they can sing it together. The summer is joyful and filled with singing on the front porch and homemade root beer and ice cream. But the next year, Kathleen receives no letter, and when they arrive, they find Gramps has changed. He doesn’t remember the ice cream and forgets a great many things. He comes home with them and a series of incidents indicates Gramps is suffering from something like Alzheimer’s: he puts eggs in his sock drawer and he forgets yesterday. But, Kathleen sings “Danny Boy” with him, pretends that they are on his front porch, and, with a loving heart, is a true companion to him. Rand’s lovely pastels, furnishings, and clothing recall a bygone era with the warmth of this intergenerational bond. (Picture book. 6-8)