On Grandaddy's Farm

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this rambling, autobiographical picture book (similar in format to Judith HendershottI added 's. necessary? /dr nope and Allen's In Coal Country ), Allen pays tribute to the summers he spent with his cousins in the 1930s at his grandparents' farm in the hills of Tennessee. Like a father telling his children about the ``olden days,'' the quiet text is without plot: ``Our little granny put in a full day baking and cooking . . . and she also made sure that we cousins were well fed and well behaved and got our chores done.'' The children wash in the swimming hole, eat homemade biscuits and ham, jump in haystacks and greet their grandfather when he comes home from his railroad job. Like old photographs, Allen's picturesque sketches on beige paper seem slightly faded, as if they had been lovingly preserved in an old trunk. But the nostalgic text lacks Hendershott's grace of language. All ages. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-- Allen reminisces about his childhood summers spent with two cousins on their grandparents' farm in rural Tennessee. Granddaddy worked for the railroad and would be away from home for days at a time. The young cousins were entrusted to help Granny with the chores, but there was also time for fun, such as jumping in the hayloft or swimming in the creek. While the story is pleasant (albeit without plot, only action), it is Allen's illustrations that shine. The soft pastels capture an age gone by. Grays and blacks with a bright orange window reflect the early morning, while greens and yellow sprinkle forth in day. Full or three-quarter spread illustrations are seen at almost every turn of a page. A quiet book remembering summers past, but one that will have rather limited appeal. --Regina Pauly, Free Library of Philadelphia