Every summer, a child goes to stay with her grandfather by the sea. Her favorite activity is hearing his stories of the “tall and handsome” Gramps and how they explored the world in their camper. Woodgate’s lush illustrations take us with them through cities and jungles, and show us the tenderness of the relationship between the two men and between the girl and Grandad.
The child says she can see “how much he loved Gramps.” When she asks why he doesn’t go anywhere now, however, Grandad replies that “Since Gramps died, I just don’t feel like it.” The girl then convinces Grandad to fix up the camper with her. Grandad suggests they pack some snacks and go camp on the beach, just like he and Gramps used to. And so they do.
In my mind, the story raises a few questions about when and how Grandad started his family (with or without Gramps?), leading to the child who became the protagonist’s parent. (And did they ever go camping with their child?) None of this is touched on, and some might want a better sense of the family continuity.
Overall, though, this is a lovely tale about the relationship between a girl and her grandfather and how people in a family continue to have an impact even after they are gone. Gramps is shown on many pages together with Grandad; the book isn’t trying to hide their relationship, even though Gramps is gone. A rainbow flag waving from the camper (on the cover and one interior page), and a pink triangle on Grandad’s shirt in images from his younger days mark this as a queer-inclusive book without making it “about” being queer, which is terrific.
The child has brown skin and dark brown hair; Grandad is White, and Gramps has brown skin and black hair.
