posted on 19 Dec 2019

Butterflies for Grandpa Joe by Nicola Davies

Introducing younger readers to the issues of loss and grief is an important and hugely sensitive undertaking – one which the talented author Nicola Davies and illustrator Mike Byrne take on with consummate skill in this lovely production from the dyslexia-friendly publisher, Barrington Stoke.

Young Ben has wonderful memories of his time spent with his granny and granddad,  especially the hours spent in their garden amongst the flowers, birds and insects. Grandpa Joe is obsessed with butterflies and spends all of his time watching and studying them – much to granny’s tolerant amusement and Ben’s bewilderment.

When Ben’s granny dies and leaves Grandpa Joe on his own, Ben is worried because all the life and spirit seems to leave the old man. He stops going out, turns on the television and just starts to wither away – despite the fact that Ben is a constant visitor who never gives up on him.

But Ben seems to be fighting a losing battle to keep his grandpa and it soon becomes clear that unless something radical can be done, he’s going to have to sell the house and be moved into a care home. And matters aren’t helped when Ben discovers that the relationship between his grandparents and his mom and his new step-father have been very tense over recent years.

Time for Ben to step in, bring the family back together and save Grandpa Joe from a miserable old age. But how could he do that? It seems an impossible task as the house is put on the market and everything he tries falls on stony ground. But then an idea starts to form in his mind – the answer must lie with the butterflies.

I’m obviously not going to tell you how the story plays itself out but I can say that it’s a heart-warming tribute to the restorative power of nature and the richness of cross-generational love. Nicola Davies is well-known for her writing for children that puts nature at its heart and she can’t have done much that is more touching than this little story of redemption.

The  black, white and charcoal tones of Mike Byrne’s illustrations are perfectly suited to the subject matter and provide a nice counterpoint and enhancement of the text – he’s a seasoned illustrator and can be relied on to get it bang on.

Guided for readers of 8 and above, I’d suggest this is actually a book for readers of all ages.

 

Terry Potter

December 2019