Grandpa's Top Threes

Egneus’ versatile illustrations immediately reveal the cluttered chaos of real life both in style and in details throughout the book—the cacophony of bottles, tools and hanging plants in the garden shed, or toys strewn pell-mell across Henry’s floor. While the story is limited to three characters (Grandpa, Henry and Mom), their depth, with a level of complexity one cannot quite unravel, makes them irresistible and real. From the “six and a half minutes” of time Henry gives Grandpa, to their wildly different top three sandwich choices indicative of their generations (chocolate spread versus beetroot), to the fact that this is a family whose members each have their own top three jellyfish, these quirky and delightfully divergent details create a deep, empathetic connection between readers and the characters, as well as a sense of the connection characters share with each other. A heartwarming lesson can be found in Henry and Grandpa’s relationship blooming not when Henry is asking for things for himself but when he asks Grandpa a question, offers up a part of himself (his own top three sandwiches), then listens and—perhaps most importantly—acts, making Grandpa his top three sandwiches. Also notable is the individuality of Henry and Grandpa’s top threes: they never overlap, showing that from the beginning each person is totally secure of being himself around the other. When the page turns to reveal Grandpa’s “top three grannies,” readers’ hearts will be tenderly touched to learn alongside Henry the answer to his very first question: “Why’s Grandpa always gardening?”