{"id":4946,"date":"2019-09-08T00:01:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-08T06:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4946"},"modified":"2019-09-09T07:53:09","modified_gmt":"2019-09-09T13:53:09","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-654-featuring-daniel-egneus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4946","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #654: Featuring Daniel Egn\u00e9us"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am happy to see a new picture book illustrated by Daniel Egn\u00e9us<\/a><\/strong>, who has illustrated two of my favorites this year (see here<\/a><\/strong> and here<\/a><\/strong>). This is Wendy Meddour’s<\/a><\/strong> Grandpa’s Top Threes<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Candlewick, September 2019), and it a moving look at grief \u2014 and how it affects a child and his grandparent. It was evidently first published in the UK as Tibble and Grandpa<\/em>. <\/p>\n

“Henry was talking,” the book opens. “But Grandpa was gardening. Again.” I love this. We see young Henry on the verso; it appears that he is expounding in great detail on one topic or another, finger in the air as if to accentuate his point. On the recto, there is Grandpa. Yes, he’s gardening, but he seems lost in thought. Or maybe just lost. <\/p>\n

Henry asks his Mom why Grandpa is always gardening, to which she tells him: “Just give him some time.” Henry fails to reach his Grandpa \u2014 until, that is, he engages him in the top three game. “What are your top three sandwiches?” he asks him one day. Grandpa’s face lights up a bit. Then they discuss their top three jellyfish, trains, and days-out. The latter is Grandpa’s idea, asking his grandson what he’d like to do that day. (“The zoo. The swimming pool. The park,” Henry exclaims.) <\/p>\n

The life seems to be seeping back into Grandpa, thanks to his ebullient grandchild, filled with joy and a bustling energy. It is when Henry asks Grandpa who his “top three Grannies” are that it is revealed Grandpa is mourning the loss of his wife. (See the spread below.) It is a deeply felt moment, tender and restrained. <\/p>\n

Meddour writes with a delightful specificity: Henry’s answers to the top three game are detailed, often funny, and reveal much about his personality. She succinctly captures Grandpa’s grief (“Grandpa made a little grunty noise”). <\/p>\n

Egn\u00e9us’s atmospheric, blue- and green-hued watercolor illustrations capture Grandpa’s sorrow with subtlety. (This book is too smart to engage in overwrought sentimentality.) He often stands alone (at least at first), set apart from his family, a wide-eyed look of disbelief and helplessness on his face. To see the smile return, thanks to Henry, is a thing of beauty. <\/p>\n

Here are some spreads so that the art can speak for itself. …
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n

“Henry went to find Mom. ‘Why’s Grandpa always gardening?’ he asked.
‘Just give him time,’ said Mom.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center>
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
 

\n
\n
(Click first image to see spread in its entirety<\/em><\/center>
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
“Grandpa took a deep breath. ‘Mine are Granny when she danced in the moonlight … Granny when she watered the roses … and Granny when she first held you.’
‘I miss Granny,’ said Henry. ‘So do I, lad,’ Grandpa sighed.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center>
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n
* * * * * * *<\/center>
\nGRANDPA’S TOP THREES. Text copyright \u00a9 2019 by Wendy Meddour. Illustrations copyright \u00a9 2019 by Daniel Egn\u00e9us. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
<\/center><\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> A Danielson birthday this weekend and … <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> … baking my first vegan cake. <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> Good conversations about children’s lit with friends. <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong><\/font> Roger Sutton’s conversation with Christopher Myers<\/a><\/strong>, posted this past week. <\/p>\n

5)<\/strong><\/font> I got Joan Shelley’s<\/a><\/strong> beautiful new album on vinyl. Music to slow the blood.
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n6)<\/strong><\/font> This book<\/a><\/strong> I featured this past week. As someone who daily sees new wrinkles on her face, I appreciate it. <\/p>\n

7)<\/strong><\/font> Getting ready<\/a><\/strong> to talk in-depth about picture books. <\/p>\n

What are YOUR<\/font><\/strong> kicks this week? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am happy to see a new picture book illustrated by Daniel Egn\u00e9us, who has illustrated two of my favorites this year (see here and here). This is Wendy Meddour’s Grandpa’s Top Threes (Candlewick, September 2019), and it a moving look at grief \u2014 and how it affects a child and his grandparent. It was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-seven-good-things-before-monday","category-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}