Summary: Lou visits his two grandfathers--Grandad, who is interested in technology, and Pops, who loves rock and roll--every Saturday, but things change when Pops falls and will have to use a wheelchair, so Lou comes up with an idea to help Pops adjust.
"A positive and realistic representation of both a wheelchair user and an elderly, interracial gay male couple." -- Kirkus Reviews
"A beautiful and uplifting book." -- School Library Journal
Lou spends every Saturday with Grandad and Pops. They walk to the library hand in hand, like a chain of paper dolls. Grandad reads books about science and design, Pops listens to rock and roll, and Lou bounces from lap to lap. But everything changes one Saturday. Pops has a fall. That night there is terrible news: Pops will need to use a wheelchair, not just for now, but for always. Unable to cope with his new circumstances, he becomes withdrawn and shuts himself in his room. Hearing Grandad trying to cheer up Pops inspires Lou to make a plan. Using skills learned from Grandad, and with a little help from their neighbors, Lou comes up with a plan for Pops.
Lou visits his two grandfathers--Grandad, who is interested in technology, and Pops, who loves rock and roll--every Saturday, but things change when Pops falls and will have to use a wheelchair, so Lou comes up with an idea to help Pops adjust.
Lou loves spending time with his two grandfathers, Grandad and Pops, including building elaborate contraptions involving pulleys and ramps. When Pops becomes sad and withdrawn after suffering a fall, Lou is determined to cheer him up. The combination of a new contraption, the playing of Pops's favorite music, and an actual ramp for his wheelchair does the trick. A warm intergenerational story accompanied by expressive illustrations full of engaging detail. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Book Review
Lou visits Grandad and Pops every Saturday and learns a lot from their radically alternative interests, until an accident disrupts the family's happy routine.Grandad likes learning how things work, and Pops enjoys the spicier things in life. Lou continually goes between them, equally validating their perspectives. Once Pops is asleep after listening to rock-and-roll, Lou and Grandad work on perfecting their (unnamed) Rube Goldberg machine that produces an aerial burst of paper cranes. One Saturday, Pops, already frail, suffers a fall, after which he must permanently use a wheelchair. Over the following weeks, Lou takes up the mission of getting a depressed Pops to come out of his room. Smith conscientiously relates how "the three Psperseverance, persistence and patience"apply to many aspects of life. Kerrigan's digital art couples quick pencil outlines with gentle and colorful watercolor washes, subtly mirroring the two grandparents' personalities. Facial expressions and body language convey mood well. On the page turn when Pops falls, Kerrigan utilizes minimalism to successfully convey the incident and the sharp emotion it elicits. The ending is happily resolved but abrupt. Rachel Martinez's translation for the companion French edition, Une ide pour Papi, is mostly verbatim but edits to two Ps, "la persvrance et la patience," forgiven perhaps with the three words' similar meanings, even in English. Granddad presents black and both Pops and Lou present white.A positive and realistic representation of both a wheelchair user and an elderly, interracial gay male couple. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.