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FARAWAY GRANDPA

by Roberta Karim
illustrated by Ted Rand
Henry Holt & Co.

ISBN 0-8050-6785-X

Young Kathleen loves visiting her grandfather at his faraway home each summer to sing songs and play games, but when he becomes forgetful and comes to live with her and her parents, she can still share special times with him...

One summer, Grandpa Danny and Kathleen sang their newfound favorite song: "Danny Boy."  That was the summer Grandpa taught her about listening with her heart and not her ears.

The next summer, Gramps had forgotten Kathleen was coming to visit.  He forgot to make ice cream for their special root beer floats.  His head seemed to be in the clouds.

The family brought their Faraway Grandpa to live with them.   And even on Grandpa Danny's most cloudy days, Kathleen knew that when she sang "Danny Boy," he was listening with his heart.

This story of love and devotion between a grandchild and grandparent will touch hearts young and old.

Includes the sheet music and lyrics for "Danny Boy."

Author Roberta Karim grew up with the joy of music, from piano playing, to drumming in marching bands and pit orchestra musicals, to dancing in the Belgian National Opera. But when Alzheimer's touched those she loved, she saw the power of music, and the power of a listening heart.

Awards & Recommendations

  • A Best Children’s Book of the Year -- Bank Street College of Education

  • Missourian Children's Book Buzz Picks

  • Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List

  • Oppenheim Toy Portfolio -- Best Toys, Books, Videos, Music & Software for Kids

  • Alzheimer's Association book lists

Reviews

  • NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

    "Roberta Karim covers a difficult subject with lots of heart."

  • SPARKS: CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW JOURNAL

    "As Grandpa continues to be forgetful, Kathleen is always there to remind him of their favorite song and traditions.   The illustrations are beautiful and the story touching.  This book will help children understand Alzheimer's disease."

  • ALA BOOKLIST

    "Written from a child's viewpoint, this picture book tells the story of a beloved grandfather with Alzheimer's disease.  In Rand's warm, pencil-and-watercolor paintings and Karim's short, unrhymed lines, the quiet scenarios of hurt and humiliation and heartfelt love tell the truth."

  • KIRKUS REVIEWS

    "Rand's lovely pastels, furnishings, and clothing recall a bygone era with the warmth of this intergenerational bond."

  • SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

    "The story's dominant themes of distance, loneliness, and loss appear in the title, in the lyrics of Grandpa's favorite song, and most obviously when he gets lost in Kathleen's house. Still, she always helps him find his way back, however briefly. Rand's pencil, watercolor, and acrylic art depicts the period with warmth and detail."

  • AMAZON REVIEWER

    "I marveled at Kathleen's loving response to her grandfather's illness and her determination to maintain their close bond despite his faraway mind. Karim's engaging prose and Rand's lively illustrations make a heartbreaking subject easy to digest." -- Ann B. Weaver

  • CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

    "Karim injects levity into this emotional subject (Alzheimer's). Faraway Grandpa gives us a glimpse into the spirit of the Irish through Karim's rich melodic text."

Meet the Illustrator

This is Ted Rand's seventy-fifth picture book! His others include KNOTS ON A COUNTING ROPE, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, and MARY WAS A LITTLE LAMB, by his wife, Gloria. Being a grandfather himself, Mr. Rand felt a powerful connection to FARAWAY GRANDPA and the special relationship between Kathleen and her grandfather.

Ted Rand at home with his wife Gloria

At School And Beyond

  • “Using Fiction to Help Kids Learn About Alzheimer’s" (hubpages.com)

    "It's estimated that 20 million American families have a relative suffering from Alzheimer's. While it's hard for adult children to deal with the ravages of this disease on their aging parents, it can be even harder for grandchildren to understand what's happening to their beloved Grandma or Grandpa.

    In FARAWAY GRANDPA by Roberta Karim, a young girl learns that even though Grandpa no longer remembers her name, he can still sing his favorite song with her -- 'Danny Boy,' which helps them stay emotionally connected.

    Suggested activity: Have a sing-a-long at the next family gathering that includes the Alzheimer's patient. Sing simple tunes like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or some of the patient's favorite childhood songs. Record or videotape the singing and make a copy for the patient to take home with him/her." -- Registered Nurse, Delaware

  • "Music at Thurston" (Thurston Elementary School, Ann Arbor MI)

    "Suggested Music Book: FARAWAY GRANDPA by Roberta Karim Kathleen sang the high notes and Grandpa the bass on their favorite song, 'Danny Boy.' Evan as Grandpa’s mind gets cloudy and shadowy, their song helps him connect to her with his heart.”

More Reviews

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
“When Grandpa starts forgetting that root beer floats need his homemade ice cream, his granddaughter sings 'Danny Boy' with him to help him remember what's important.  They sing and listen to the song with their hearts and not their ears.  In true Irish fashion, Grandpa makes up rhymes, loves shenanigans, and plays with his granddaughter Kathleen every August when she visits.  He builds her a doll house and carves two hearts and a tiny swing on the front porch.  Then he moves in with his daughter, because he's forgetting too much.

Karim injects levity into this emotional subject when the now close Grandpa promises not to pick Mrs. McConacky's marigolds, but forgets the gist of the promise and picks Mrs. McC's petunias instead.  When the shadowy days happen, Kathleen sings 'Danny Boy' with Grandpa, and reminds all with or without Irish blood to listen with their hearts.  FARAWAY GRANDPA gives us a glimpse into the spirit of the Irish through Karim's rich melodic text.” -- Sue Stefurak, CL
ALA BOOKLIST
“Written from a child's viewpoint, this picture book tells the story of a beloved grandfather with Alzheimer's disease.  In FARAWAY GRANDPA, set nearly a century ago, Kathleen visits her Grandpa Danny every summer, and they have uproarious fun together.  He loves shenanigans, he teases her, and together they bellow out his song from Ireland: 'Danny Boy.'  But one year, he forgets that she's coming, and eventually he comes to live with her family.  He hides in her closets and does other silly things.  He makes trouble with the neighbors, and he even forgets her name.  But he remembers things from long ago, and always, he and Kathleen share the melancholy song.  The old-fashioned setting distances the story, but it also shows that the illness is not new.

In Rand's warm, pencil-and-watercolor paintings and Karim's short, unrhymed lines, the quiet scenarios of hurt and humiliation and heartfelt love tell the truth.” -- Hazel Rochman, ALA
HORN BOOK
“In 1915, when the song 'Danny Boy' first comes out, Grandpa Danny and Kathleen sing it together when she visits.  As time passes, Grandpa's mind becomes 'shadowy,' and he moves in with Kathleen's family.  Still, Kathleen connects with him through their song.  The quiet language, echoing the words of 'Danny Boy,' and the expressive illustrations make this a touching if sentimental story.”
KIRKUS
“Every summer, Kathleen and her parents hitch up the horses and visit Grandpa Danny.  She receives a letter (dated 1915) telling her to be sure and bring the words to 'Danny Boy' so they can sing it together.  The summer is joyful and filled with singing on the front porch and homemade root beer and ice cream.  But the next year, Kathleen receives no letter, and when they arrive, they find Gramps has changed.  He doesn't remember the ice cream and forgets a great many things.

He comes home with them and a series of incidents indicates Gramps is suffering from something like Alzheimer's: he puts eggs in his sock drawer and he forgets yesterday.  But Kathleen sings 'Danny Boy' with him, pretends that they are on his front porch, and with a loving heart, is a true companion to him.  Rand's lovely pastels, furnishings, and clothing recall a bygone era with the warmth of this intergenerational bond.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“In August of 1915, Kathleen and her family spend two fun-filled weeks with Grandpa Danny.  They sing 'Danny Boy,' rock on the porch swing, drink root-beer floats, and annoy the neighbors.  However, things are different when they visit in 1916; Grandpa Danny has grown forgetful, and when the summer ends he comes to live in Kathleen's house.  His memory steadily declines, but the girl knows her grandfather is still in there, and that on his "shadowy" days, she can sometimes pull his head out of the clouds with music.  Karim's sympathetic characters occupy a universe that seems simpler in some ways (there is no question that the family will care for Danny at home) and perhaps more frightening in others (his affliction is not identified).

The story's dominant themes of distance, loneliness, and loss appear in the title, in the lyrics of Grandpa's favorite song, and most obviously when he gets lost in Kathleen's house.  Still, she always helps him find his way back, however briefly.  Rand's pencil, watercolor, and acrylic art depicts the period with warmth and detail.” -- Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, South Carolina
AMAZON REVIEWER
“Mr. Rogers could not have explained it any better.  We could have used this book a few years ago when the live-in grandfather of our son's close friend was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.  So many times, we rely on children's books to help us explain difficult subjects.  Leave it to Roberta Karim, author of MANDY SUE DAY, to provide us with a straightforward look into the life of an Alzheimer's patient.  I marveled at Kathleen's loving response to her grandfather's illness and her determination to maintain their close bond despite his faraway mind.  Karim's engaging prose and Rand's lively illustrations make a heartbreaking subject easy to digest.”  --  Ann B. Weaver
GOODREADS
“I admit it.  I choked up on this one.  It's about memory loss and the bond between old and young.  I recommend it to anyone.  Amazing how much insight this children's book offers.  The 5-year-old and I had a good conversation afterwards.”
SPARKS: CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW JOURNAL: CENTER FOR LEARNING TECHNOLOGY, ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
“Set in the early 1900’s, this book describes the summer that a young girl Kathleen spends visiting her Grandpa.  She and her Grandpa sing songs and drink root beer floats while rocking in the porch swing.  However, the visit the next summer reveals a very different and forgetful Grandpa.  After this visit Grandpa decides to live with Kathleen and her family.  Before Grandpa leaves his home he does remember a present he has for Kathleen.  It is a doll house with a porch and a swing on which are carved two hearts.  As Grandpa continues to be forgetful, Kathleen is always there to remind him of their favorite song and traditions.  The illustrations are beautiful and the story touching.  This book will help children understand Alzheimer’s disease.”
-– Jacquelyn Wells, Pre-Service Teacher, Early Childhood Education
BOOKTALKS
“It's 1915 and Kathleen is looking forward to visiting with her faraway Grandpa.  Every August, she and her family pack up and visit him.  Kathleen loves the visits.  She and Grandpa sit on the porch swing and sing their special song.  It's called 'Danny Boy'  and it's an Irish song.  One summer, Grandpa seems to have forgotten that Kathleen was coming.  He seems to forget a lot of things.  It is decided that he should come back and live with them.  What is going on?  Can Kathleen help?”   -- Nancy Keane
CHILDREN’S BOOK AND PLAY REVIEW: BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
“Kathleen has an especially close relationship with her personable and happy Grandpa Danny.  They regularly correspond with each other and Kathleen's summer visits to Grandpa's farm are yearly highlights for both.  Sitting on the porch swing and singing songs together is one of their heart-binding ties.

This picture book tells of Kathleen's visit in the summer of 1916, and how Kathleen notices that Grandpa has grown very forgetful and does not remember their usual teasing games and dialogue.  When Grandpa comes to live with Kathleen and her family, Kathleen discovers that their favorite song, the Irish tune "Danny Boy" can magically, if briefly, bring back Grandpa Danny's wit and cleverness.  As Kathleen explained, it is because 'my Grandpa Danny listens with his heart.'

Karim's text and Rand's water color and acrylic enhanced pencil illustrations blend to present a warm inspiring story of a curious youngster who calmly and lovingly deals with a grandparent with memory loss.  Although recommended for grades K-3, this title will pull at the reader's heartstrings regardless of age.  Included at the end of the book are the words and music for 'Danny Boy.'

Reviewer: Sandra L. Tidwell
Rating: Outstanding
NEA TODAY (NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE U. S.)
“Every year, Kathleen makes the trip to visit her 'faraway' Grandpa Danny.  But recently, Grandpa has started forgetting things, such as the letters he usually writes to her.  Grandpa eventually comes to live with Kathleen and her parents when his memory worsens.

In the gentle FARAWAY GRANDPA, author Roberta Karim covers a difficult subject with lots of heart, telling how Kathleen still finds ways to have fun with her grandpa despite his deteriorating memory.”
COLLABORATIVE SUMMER LIBRARY PROGRAM (CSLP)
Nationwide library summer reading program 2009 I’ve Got Music: “There are many fine books about music and musical instruments.  In FARAWAY GRANDPA, Kathleen and her elderly grandfather can still share a beloved song in spite of his dementia.”