Big Papa and the Time Machine

When a young boy is scared to start school, he receives a much needed visit from his Big Papa, who takes him on an inspiring and instructive journey in his “time machine”: a pristine 1950s era antique car complete with whitewall tires. The boy and Big Papa travel to five important moments in Big Papa’s life—including the night he met his wife and the day the little boy’s mom left him as a baby with Big Papa—when Big Papa himself was scared. Big Papa beautifully describes how he responded to these moments with bravery: “[S]ometimes you gotta jump in an ocean of scared if you ever gonna dance with an angel,” and “Sometimes you gotta love the unexpected if you ever gonna find love at all.” Bernstrom masterfully weaves oral histories into an answer to a present day problem, and his skillful touch of Ebonics conveys character while making the story easy to read aloud. Evans, whose impressionistic illustrations are done in mixed and digital media, alkyd paint, and pen, beautifully depicts past and present simultaneously, with a pastel color scheme that seamlessly differentiates between the ethereal past and the concrete present. Both Bernstrom and Evans describe in touching endnotes their personal connection with the story, a connection that readers will notice in this inspiring, remarkable book.