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Grandad's Island: Benji Davies

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My 4 year old has recently started questioning a lot of the normal day to day things and losing a loved one or even knowing that she could at some point die, it was an emotional thing for her understand and she would keep getting upset and asking more and more questions. The tropical paradise they discover serves as a substitute for Grandad's final resting place, and Syd sails back to the 'real' world alone. This book may be close to home for some children, particularly children who live with their grandparents and may make them sad - as a child, losing my grandparents was something I really feared because I am incredibly close to them. This story is a metaphor for death and loss with Syd experiencing and coping with the loss of his grandad.

But the use of colour also extends here in aiding to communicate the characters emotions as at times the colour reverts to a brown. It's almost so subtle that you read it and are like - wait, am I a downer for thinking the grandfather died?

Recommend to young families dealing with loss, especially those who prefer to gloss over the scientific realities. It does so in a way that I feel like a kid who hadn't lost anyone wouldn't pick up on it (There's no funeral or tears or sickness) but that a kid who had experience a loss might find resonance in the story. This book deals with a very sensitive subject of losing grandparents and it is a situation I have seen many children experience and this book may help them to understand the situation. Proficient readers bring a lot of assumptions to text, that young children need to be taught explicitly or else learn implicitly though wide reading and life experience. We work closely with publishers and authors to ensure that we offer the best books on the market for your child.

The book has endless opportunities for discussion and predictions to extend children's understanding of the story. This book, along with its fantastic illustrations, tackles the difficult subject of losing a grandparent in a sensitive and subtle way. While I respect that, and am glad for those who find solace in Benji Davies' story, I have to confess that something about the formulation here just didn't work for me. Sure to provide comfort to young children struggling to understand loss, this story is a sensitive and beautiful reminder that our loved ones live on in our memories long after they’re gone.What I thought was that this was just a magical book about a boy making a journey with his granddad in a magical boat or that it was a dream where a boy has a wonderful trip with his dear grandpa.

Each page is worthy of time and discussion as they lead us to understand the changing emotions that accompany the final adventure Grandad and Syd have together. It's a story about losing a loved one and while this might put some people off from reading, it could actually help you more than you think. Overall, although this book deals with a difficult topic it's still an excellent resource in any KS1 primary classroom! In Grandad’s Island, Syd knows that his Grandad will always be with him in his heart and in his imagination.

The book explores death in a similar way to Oliver Jeffers’ ‘The Heart and the Bottle’, however I think I prefer Davies’ book as it is more uplifting and the reader can see where Grandad has gone which may be comforting to some children who have lost a loved one and wonder where they are now. However, with how the story portrays Grandad going to heaven, it deals with it in a sensitive way that children can understand and may help them not to be as worried. Subtly told, this beautifully illustrated book tackles a difficult subject with great sensitivity and depth.

It still surprises me to this day, the number of Picturebooks for children that address the theme of loss and bereavement, without actually addressing it as 'death'. From a young age he was often to be found painting at the kitchen table, a scene which can still be seen to this day.Grandad's Island is a beautiful story about a young boy who is trying to understand why his Grandad father won't be in his life anymore. Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF. Still, there's nothing really wrong with this one, and it might be helpful for some, as an exploration of these issues. I think the layers to the book allow it to be used from year 1 up to year 6 as either a whole class read or 1:1 exploration of the theme of loss.

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