Sun and Spoon

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Since I have the very best grandchildren in the whole wide world, it was inevitable that I would adore "Sun & Spoon"—a book about a grandson seeking a special something to remind him of his recently deceased grandmother. It certainly helped that the story is exceptionally well told and very well written.

Having just published a book about grandparents, I particularly liked the fact that the plot around which this book revolves will have significant meaning to children who have lost a grandparent, or any loved one. Even adults can't adequately prepare for the loss of someone who has been an integral part of their lives. But children, especially, can be confused by the emotions they feel at such a time. For many, the passing away of a grandparent may well be the first time they are confronted with the upheaval that such a death causes to the immediate family. By reading "Sun & Spoon," children faced with the death of a loved one will be comforted in learning that they are not alone in the feelings that come over them during this difficult time. And the coping suggestions subtly made in the book—making a notebook about the deceased grandparent and finding a special memento—are very valuable ones that will hopefully be imitated by many readers.

Henkes is an experienced writer, so he makes sure that it's not just the relationship between ten-year-old Spoon and his late grandmother that unfolds but also those between Spoon and his younger sister, his parents, his older brother, and his grandfather. In each instance, the reader picks up useful insights on theinteractions that take place within a family—information that can be very helpful in dealing with real-life relationships they may encounter within their own family. Of particular importance is the reaction of Spoon's grandfather to losing his wife—his sadness, the changes in his habits. Sometimes it is harder for children to deal with the changes that take place within the character of the surviving spouse than the emotions caused by the disappearance of the person that died, because the personality changes in the survivor are constantly visible to children.

Children may try to push the deceased person out of their mind in order not to have to deal with the pain that accompanies the memories. It is very important that this does not occur, because emotions that are buried can cause more damage later on. Yet parents are prone to protect their children, even though by doing so they are not allowing them to come to terms with the process of mourning. Pyschologically speaking, Spoon's insistence of trying to keep his grandmother's memory alive is a very important example to give to children.

And then, like the chocolate nestled in the center of a Tootsie Pop, is the lesson learned about telling the truth. Subtly delivered, because Spoon's lie is not really so bad, the message comes across more strongly, I believe, than if Spoon had lied maliciously. He finds himself in a situation that any kid might, torn between revealing what he's done or merely trying to right the wrong. His choice is not the easy way out, but the right way.

Rereading what I have written, I see that I've used the word "subtly" several times, and it is that quality that I find of special value. The topic of death is not one easily dealt with, which is why I believe that Henkes should be congratulated for handling it with care while at the same time creating a story that will interest and offer valuable advice to all children, even those who haven't yet had to deal with death.

I heartily recommend "Sun & Spoon." Though I would like to believe that I will last forever, I know the time will come when my grandchildren will have to face the loss of their Omi [grandmother], just as they have already lost their grandfather. I could wish them no better tool to help them deal with such circumstances than to read this book. Recommended for ages 8 and up.—Dr. Ruth Westheimer

Five Owls

Sun and Spoon, so simply told, trust readers with truths that many children's authors avoid or treat mawkishly. Weighty though his subject is, Henkes's touch is light and deft. The book is fresh, delightful from start to end.

Elizabeth Spires

Henkes's deftness and gift in ''Sun & Spoon'' are not always in the actual story, but in his sensitive observation of each character's passions and eccentricities. The book glitters with small, memorable moments that seem true to life, yet fresh and unexpected. -- New York Times

Children's Literature - Gisela Jernigan

Oftentimes when we lose someone close to us we want to keep something of theirs as a reminder of him or her in our lives. Spoon Gilmore's Gram died two months ago and he is searching for that something special he can always have. The book is filled with Spoon's remembrances of his Gram, and how he deals with his grief. He misses playing triple solitaire with her and Pa and he knows how much she loved to collect suns. Spoon even tries to come up with a list of 52 details about her. He is afraid he is going to forget. But this is really a story about family relationships: between parent and child, brother and sister, brother and brother, grandparent and grandchild, and the living and the dead. This is a great first novel for any young reader.

Children's Literature - Sheree van Vreede

Oftentimes when we lose someone close to us, we want to keep something of theirs as a personal reminder. Spoon Gilmore's Gram died two months ago and he is searching for that something special he can always have. The book is filled with Spoon's remembrances of his Gram, and how he deals with his grief. He misses playing triple solitaire with her and Pa, and he knows how much she loved to collect suns. Spoon even tries to come up with a list of 52 details about her. He is afraid he is going to forget. But this is really a story about family relationships: between parent and child, brother and sister, brother and brother, grandparent and grandchild, and the living and the dead. This is a great first novel for any young reader.

Children's Literature

AGERANGE: Ages 8 to 14.

Spoon Gilmore has felt adrift since his grandmother's death a couple of months ago. His grandfather seems equally off-balance. It takes time to adjust to a loved one's passing, of that there can be no doubt. But what scares ten-year-old Spoon is that he seems to be losing his grandmother more all the time. His memories seem fuzzier than they were, and if he loses them, he is afraid of losing his beloved grandmother altogether. So, he settles on a plan. He determines to find an object of Gram's that he can keep that will remind him of her. It quickly becomes apparent that Spoon has made a terrible mistake. Can he set things right? Readers who have lost a grandparent will appreciate Kevin Henkes' keen understanding of their heartache, but even those lucky enough not to have personal experience with a grandparent's death will empathize with Spoon's plight. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Spoon, 10, spends his summer trying to reconfigure his world, which seems strangely out of kilter since his grandmother's death. A moving and positive look at the power of memory. (July, 1996)

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7Ten-year-old Spoon wrestles with sorrow this first summer since his beloved Gram has passed away. His older brother takes a planned cross-country trip to visit their other grandmother, but Spoon stays home. Worrying that his memories of Gram will fade, he seeks a special remembrance of her. Everything is a bit off-kilter, especially Pa, his grandfather. The grieving man can't get enough of six-year-old pesky Joanie and the bone collection she carts around in her suitcase, but he doesn't have the heart to play cards with Spoon, because Gram is no longer there to be the third participant in triple solitaire. Spoon finds the perfect talisman and secretly pockets it, creating a turmoil in Pa that is difficult to resolve. Verbal communication can be so difficult and yet the boy finds the courage to face up to his theft. Given the opportunity to keep the desired memento, Spoon chooses to accept a once unappreciated photo and discovers a magical, mystical, memorable connection to his grandmother. Once again Henkes captures young angst with respect and honesty. A subject that could be overwhelmingly dark and cloudy is illuminated most comfortingly. Images of supportive parents and love between generations shine through without a heavy hand. Imagery of weather and art and dreams will be caught and appreciated by thoughtful readers. Cynthia Rylant's Missing May Orchard, 1992 and Sharon Mathis's The Hundred Penny Box Viking, 1975 also demonstrate powerful concerns about remembering loved ones.Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO

Kirkus Reviews

Wearing his novelist's hat, Henkes (Protecting Marie, 1995, etc.) offers another meticulously crafted, quietly engaging epiphany: A 10-year-old looking for just the right memento of his recently dead grandmother finds it literally in his hands.

It's been two months since Gram's funeral, and Spoon, worried about his fading memories of her, surreptitiously searches his grandparents' house for something of hers with which to anchor them. He settles at last on the deck of cards she always used for solitaire, but his twinge of guilt becomes knife- edged when Pa, his grieving grandfather, allows that he'd been taking some comfort from using those cards, and can't sleep for wondering what happened to them. Spoon finds the courage to put them back and to confess; later he discovers something better—a tracing of Gram's hand, made when she was his age, with a big M on it and the legend, "M is always for Martha," which was her name. Why better? Because he finds the same M in the creases in the lines of his own palm, as well as in his younger sister's and parents' palms. Henkes deftly delineates characters and relationships with brief conversations and small personal or family rituals, folds in motifs—hands, the sun—to give the plot a pleasing rhythm, and consistently finds the perfect words to evoke each moment's sometimes-complex feelings. Like Henkes's other novels, this is more restrained in tone than his picture books, but it is infused with the same good humor, wisdom, and respect for children's hearts and minds that characterize all his works.