Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas
Illustrator: Sucie Stevenson
Fiction
For ages 5 to 7
Simon and Schuster, 2006 ISBN: 978-0689834479
It is a warm sunny summer’s day and Henry, his dog Mudge, and Henry’s parents are going to visit Great-Grandpa Bill. Great-Grandpa Bill lives in a house with a lot of other grandpas. Henry likes visiting the old men because they enjoy doing things with him like playing checkers, and all the grandpas love Henry.
Soon after arriving at the house, Henry and Mudge go exploring in the woods near Great-Grandpa Bill’s house. The two friends have a grand time discovering all sorts of wonderful things, and then they find a pond; the kind of pond that is perfect for swimming in. Henry and Mudge head back to the house to tell everyone about their splendid find.
These days many of us live far away from relatives such as aunts and uncles, grandpas and grandmas, and we miss out on sharing good times with these special people. In this delightful Henry and Mudge title we go along with Henry and his dog when they visit a house full of grandpas, and we see how close the connection is between Henry’s family and the old gentlemen. In this story Cynthia Rylant beautifully captures the joy one can experience sharing simple pleasures with loved ones on a lovely summer’s day.
This is one of the titles in the Henry and Mudge series and it won the Theodore Geisel Award in 2006.
