This month’s review discusses the full-of-fun book, “How to Babysit a Grandpa” by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wilder.
Happy Father’s Day! Dr. Toughlove has recently learned that according to history.com and britannica.com, Father’s Day was created by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, who wanted to honor her father who raised her and her brothers as a widower. The first Father’s Day was celebrated in June 1910, but it was not until 1972, that it became a national holiday. In the United States it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.
Dr. Toughlove decided that in honor of Father’s Day, she would put a spotlight on Grandfathers, and review “How to Babysit a Grandpa” by Jean Reagan. Jean Reagan and her illustrator Lee Wildish have written and illustrated the New York Times best seller series “How to….” which includes the books “How to Babysit a Grandma”, How to Read to a Grandma or Grandpa”, and other titles.
“How to Babysit a Grandpa” is a hilarious book that Dr. Toughlove has given to many first time grandparents. The book effectively alternates between dialogue and How To Lists. For example, the nameless boy in the story who is the narrator and the babysitter, decides he should take his Grandpa out for a walk. Grandpa is reminded to hold his hand and look both ways before crossing the street, and is instructed about WHAT TO DO ON A WALK (p.9). Last May Dr. Toughlove reviewed the book “How to Raise a Mom” by the same author/illustrator team and as previously noted, they are terrific at using fonts and visually appealing illustrations to help tell the story.
Grandpas who read this book aloud (Dr. Toughlove knows many of them), have a hard time keeping a straight face, reading the antics that Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish created. It is a wonderful guide for a new Grandpa (or Grandma for that matter), who may need a refresher on how to relate to young children. A Grandparent might want to read this book aloud and then ask the grandchildren what things they might like to do, based on the activities describe in the book. The possibilities of how to use this book are numerous.
There are a lot of subtleties embedded in this book, so every time you read “How to Babysit a Grandpa” you can be guaranteed to see something you didn’t notice the last time around. As a bonus, the front and the back of the book contain some additional illustrations that the reader can use to supplement the story.
While “How to Babysit a Grandpa” is recommended for children aged 5-8, Dr. Toughlove believes that adults enjoy reading it as much as kids do. Copies of “How to Babysit a Grandpa” are available at Queen Anne’s County Library.