Booklist (April 15, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 16))Preschool-Grade 2. While his mom and dad are away, it’s up to one young boy to supervise his visiting grandfather, and the first course of action is to hide. He employs several techniques to keep from laughing and giving away his location, which are captured in amusing, lightly colored digital artwork, as are recommendations for feeding one’s elder deliciously unhealthy snacks (anything dipped in ketchup), taking him on a walk, entertaining him, waking him up from his nap (the best strategy is singing ‘On Top of Old Smokey’ softly, then LOUDER and LOUDER), and getting everything cleaned up before the parental units return. The biggest challenge is saying good-bye—but only until the somewhat addled but great sport of a grandpa returns again. The scenarios are familiar yet there aren’t many audiences who won’t appreciate and relate to these two family members who clearly love each other and enjoy spending time together. So who is really in charge here? Does it matter?Horn Book (Fall 2012)A boy instructs the reader in the care of a grandfather (e.g., "When it's sunny, sunscreen up--especially the top of his head"); the unspoken joke, on which the mirthful digital art capitalizes, is that Grandpa is indulging the boy's fantasy. This is a welcome celebration of an intergenerational relationship that will feel cozy and familiar to most young readers.Kirkus Reviews (February 15, 2012)Reagan's second outing is a tongue-in-cheek reversal of roles as a young boy instructs readers on how best to entertain and care for a grandpa while Mom and Dad are away. First, he instructs them to hide when Grandpa rings the doorbell--resist the wiggles and giggles, and only pop out when he gives up. Then, reassure him that Mom and Dad will be back and distract him with a snack--heavy on the ice cream, cookies, ketchup and olives. Throughout the day, the narrator takes his grandpa for a walk, entertains him, plays with him, puts him down for a nap and encourages him to clean up before Mom and Dad's return. Lists on almost every spread give readers a range of ideas for things to try, provided their grandfathers are not diabetic or arthritic, or have high blood pressure or a heart condition. These lists also provide Wildish with lots of fodder for his vignette illustrations. His digital artwork definitely focuses on the humor, with laugh-out-loud scenes and funny hidden details. And his characters' expressive faces also help to fill in the grandfather-grandson relationship that Reagan's deadpan narrative leaves unstated. A good choice for just those days when Mom and Dad do go away and leave their children in charge of Grandpa. (Picture book. 4-8)School Library Journal (March 1, 2012)K-Gr 3-A boy's tips for babysitting a grandpa include hiding when he arrives; fixing snacks such as "anything dipped in ketchup"; looking for "lizards, cool rocks, and dandelion puffs" on walks; and so on. The endpapers have eight childlike drawings of child-grandparent interactions, and the book opens with a digitally rendered cartoonlike illustration of a spindly legged man sporting tufts of gray hair and carrying a small purple duffel bag. The parents leave, and the boy assures his grandfather, "Don't worry. They always come back," and the fun begins. In preparation for outdoor activities, the child advises bundling grandpa from head to toe in winter and slathering sunscreen on his bald head in summer. For indoor activities, "have him read a looooooooooong book" several times, guaranteed to put him to sleep. Of course, the house becomes quite messy and a hurried cleanup is in order before Mom and Dad return. The humorous illustrations include a snoozing grandpa with a meowing cat atop his head to wake him up. Youngsters will recognize some of the sayings they've heard from their own grandparents and will thoroughly enjoy the tongue-in-cheek role reversal.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. another cute little refreshing book and about me, a Grandpa.I liked some of the ideas of how to have fun w/grandchild.Josiah, my Grandson, could offer some interesting ideas as well as other grandchildren of those who read or watch their grandchildren.Refreshing.Read at Barnes and Nobles while going back in time to previous books read as a youngester.I have pictures of sitting on my Grandfathers lap, "Pap!", however I don't remember him reading much.He was a very good Jeopardy player.:0)
What do You think about How To Babysit A Grandpa (2012)?
What an absolutely charming book! Creative and fun and very much recommended.
—Indranil
Cute - made a great Father's Day gift for my son's grandfathers.
—Paula
