Members Get 10% Off and Earn Rewards Find Out More

Grandpa Across the Ocean

Add to Wishlist

Grandpa Across the Ocean

eBook(NOOK Kids)

$15.29

eBook(NOOK Kids)
$15.29

Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps.

WANT A NOOK? Explore Now

Buy As Gift

Related collections and offers

Overview

Though separated by language, age, and an ocean, a child and grandparent find common ground in this warm, witty picture book

Grandpa lives on the other side of the ocean.
He takes naps all the time. He eats different foods. He speaks an unfamiliar language. His house is the most boring place on Earth!
Or is it? A little time together just might reveal that Grandpa is also a great singer, an energetic sandcastle builder, and a troublemaker . . . just like his grandson!
With her signature warmth and humor, award-winning author-illustrator Hyewon Yum shares the challenges and joys of having a relative who lives far away—proving that even from across the ocean, the grandparent-grandchild relationship is a very special one.

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647003128
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Hyewon Yum is an author and illustrator of many picture books, including Saturday Is Swimming Day, which won a Charlotte Zolotow Honor. She has two sons who hate haircuts. She also doesn’t like haircuts, but she’s never told her kids that. She lives in Brooklyn with her roaring family.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/26/2021
A Korean American child with short black hair and dot eyes struggles to adjust to South Korea when visiting Grandpa, a bespectacled elderly man. Different customs (“When I say ‘Hi,’/ Grandpa bows”), language barriers (“I can’t quite understand what he says,/ and he can’t hear me well”), and unfamiliar food (“Grandpa eats things I don’t want to eat”) unmoor the child, but an accident soon sets the duo on a path toward understanding (“But with Grandpa, I don’t need to say the word for what I want most./ He already knows”). Charming colored-pencil illustrations are punctuated with a few basic Korean words as the narrator and Grandpa embark on market and beach excursions, and grow closer. Told in a pitch-perfect kid voice with a satisfying narrative arc, Yum’s sweetly comedic picture book will resonate with any reader who has experienced diasporic—or generational—tension with an older relative. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"This is a simple story with an important message that young readers and their caregivers will appreciate: take a little time, make a little effort, and all will be well."

Booklist

"Sweet and funny... The straightforward text is easily accessible, and the colored-pencil illustrations are bright and vibrant. Faithful representations of street scenes and food culture in South Korea invite readers from the same background to connect personally with the visual narrative, while allowing others to experience something new."

The Horn Book Magazine

"Gentle and patient... Use this to prepare kids for their own visits with faraway grandparents or just to demonstrate how an initially strange place can turn to home."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Charming... Told in a pitch-perfect kid voice with a satisfying narrative arc, Yum’s sweetly comedic picture book will resonate with any reader who has experienced diasporic—or generational—tension with an older relative." —Publishers Weekly

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Young readers will be comforted and entertained by the evolution of the relationship between the boy and his grandfather... Yum’s witty, brief text perfectly and humorously complements her simple but expressive illustrations. The circumstances will resonate for children who have family far away."—School Library Journal

"This is a simple story with an important message that young readers and their caregivers will appreciate: take a little time, make a little effort, and all will be well." —Booklist

"Gentle and patient... Use this to prepare kids for their own visits with faraway grandparents or just to demonstrate how an initially strange place can turn to home." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Sweet and funny... The straightforward text is easily accessible, and the colored-pencil illustrations are bright and vibrant. Faithful representations of street scenes and food culture in South Korea invite readers from the same background to connect personally with the visual narrative, while allowing others to experience something new."—The Horn Book Magazine

"Illustrated with colored pencil, the scenes are light and filled with patience and love. The grandfather is frequently shown at the same eye level as the child, highlighting the importance of physical connection. An effort is made to translate simple Korean words to English, and many will recognize the awkward feeling of understanding a different culture."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2021
PreS-Gr 1—For all children everywhere, the unfamiliar is hard. When the young narrator of this sweet picture book first gets to South Korea, or the "other side of the ocean," everything seems strange to him, including his grandfather. They can't understand each other's language and the house is "the most boring place on earth," until the young boy accidentally knocks over one of his grandfather's beloved potted orchids. Afraid of getting in trouble, the boy cowers, only to find that the old gentleman is ready to comfort him with peaches and a toy car. From then on, the two are inseparable. They enjoy walks in town, ice cream cones, and trips to the beach. By the end of the story, "Now where Grandpas lives, it smells familiar. It sounds familiar. And it feels like home." Young readers will be comforted and entertained by the evolution of the relationship between the boy and his grandfather, as he goes from a stranger to "a troublemaker. Just like me." Yum's witty, brief text perfectly and humorously complements her simple but expressive illustrations. The circumstances will resonate for children who have family far away. VERDICT. A great choice for picture book collections, this will be treasured by families preparing their young ones for a visit with relatives.—Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2021-03-02
A summer spent in Korea with Grandpa provides growth for a little Korean American child.
A little black-haired Asian child wheels a blue suitcase through the city, craning to take in the new sights and sounds of a foreign land. This is where Grandpa lives. “It smells strange. It sounds strange.” With a sad face, the child tries to adjust to this new place, giving a firsthand account of trials suffered. When an accident caused by frustration and boredom surprises both grandfather and grandchild, there is a reckoning of sorts. Guilty feelings on both sides lead to new behaviors. This kid is possibly the same child from Yum’s previous title Puddle (2016), and the theme of overcoming cranky behavior repeats as well. With the same warmhearted care, the child is helped through the adjustment of having a relationship with a loving relative who lives across the ocean. Illustrated with colored pencil, the scenes are light and filled with patience and love. The grandfather is frequently shown at the same eye level as the child, highlighting the importance of physical connection. An effort is made to translate simple Korean words to English, and many will recognize the awkward feeling of understanding a different culture. Hopefully, readers will appreciate the importance of an affectionate relationship between grandparent and grandchild. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.8% of actual size.)
A reminder that love and attention can bolster relationships separated by time and distance. (Picture book. 3-8.)

Kirkus Reviews

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews