On a visit to her grandpa’s house, a little girl and her cousins run through the farm fields, play among the chickens, investigate the root cellar, swing in the barn, tease the neighbor’s pig, and try to figure out what the grown-ups are saying when they speak Interior Salish. The kids also explore the attic (“We step sneaky steps on tiptoe across the creaky floor”), hunt for the candy jar (“We suck until our lips turn colors: red, blue and green”), and ask Grandpa to tell them about Yayah (Grandma), whom they don’t remember. Most of all the visit is filled with love for the man who is “our everything: elder, gardener, chef, businessman, rancher, cowboy ... But best of all, he’s Grandpa.” Nicola I. Campbell’s lively tribute to her grandfather brims with delightful details while Kim LaFave’s blithe illustrations capture the spirited warmth and fun. (Ages 4–8)

A finalist for the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize

A young girl delights in a visit to her grandpa's farm. She and her cousins run through the fields, explore the root cellar where the salmon and jars of fruit are stored, swing on a rope out the barn loft window, visit the Appaloosa in the corral and tease the neighbor's pig. The visit is also an opportunity for this child to ask Grandpa what her grandmother, Yayah, was like, and explore the "secret room,"with its old wooden trunk of ribbons, medals and photos of Grandpa in uniform.

There is a wonderful blend of fun and family history in this visit to a grandparent, but also the realization that there can be some things about the people we know and love that will always remain a mystery.