Granpa

John Burningham's classic picture book recounting a little girl's relationship with her grandfather is chronicled in sensitive little vignettes of their daily life. The empty chair and the woebegone, pinched little face of the girl at the end allow the emotions of loss and mourning to have expression. There are too few books that treat death and grief in a way which allow the young child to come to some sort of understanding of the validity of his or her feelings. Thank goodness for this one.