Grandpa for Sale
By Dotti Enderle and Vicki Sansum
Illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry
Mrs. Larchmont stamped her foot. “Well, if I can’t buy everything I want, then I won’t buy anything at all.”
Mrs. Bradley Larchmont the Third sweeps into Oldman’s Antiques, miniature poodle in her arms. She wanders through the store, handing Lizzie the things she wants to buy. And then she comes upon Grandpa, asleep on the settee.
Second grade readers will enjoy the events that follow. Mrs. Larchmont offers five hundred dollars. When Lizzie (who is just minding the store for ten minutes) understands that Mrs Larchmont wants to buy not the settee but Grandpa, she refuses. Mrs Larchmont increases the purchase amount.
With each increase Lizzie imagines even more fantastical things that she could buy. Young readers will follow along and maybe add their own list of things to buy. but Lizzie is steadfast in her refusal. Mrs. Larchmont dumps all the things she had gathered and sweeps out of the store.
The message of the story is simply stated. At each step Lizzie imagines wondrous things, but feels that her acquisition would be no fun without Grandpa. Along with Lizzie the readers learn that just a thing is no fun by itself. You need someone to enjoy it with and “Not everyone has a price.”
The illustrations enhance the story in all their colorful glory. But, follow carefully and you will see that only the elements talked about on the page are in color. The rest is black-and-white. The thing that Lizzie thinks she can buy are in glorious color, but her imagining of Grandpa is black-and-white. The parallels continue. Giselle’s expressions mirror Mrs. Larchmont’s. The icing on the cake is the letter from Smotheby’s on the back outside cover! And has Grandpa been awake all the while?
A worthy addition to any reading list.
Additional Activities:
Adapted for Readers Theater: http://www.dottienderle.com/Readers%20Theater_Grandpa%20for%20Sale.pdf
Author Website: http://www.dottienderle.com/
Title: Grandpa for Sale- Authors: Dotti Enderle and Vicki Sansum
- Illustrator: T. Kyle Gentry
- Publisher: Flashlight Press
- Reviewer: Anjali Amit
- Hardback: 30 Pages
- Genre: Fiction Picture Book