![]() ![]() The story continues through the man’s life – his first crush, his plans to study horticulture, his military sidetrack – to the current day. At each stop the boy collects a different gardening item. ![]() He grew up on a farm with pigs and corn and carrots …Įach line is punctuated by a new topiary creation – rabbit, carrot, rooster. The mood is reflective as the boy narrates:īefore computers or cell phones or television. How to classify this story? A topiary flashback? A botanical biography? The book begins with a boy walking through a massive garden filled with expertly trimmed greenery. ![]() While the sentiment involved won’t stir kids’ emotions as it will adults, it is a book that stands out. Grandpa Green is bold, but in a different way – here Smith explores the life of a man in his golden years. His last outing, It’s a Book, was a genuinely hilarious crowd-pleaser with a catch – an insult punchline featuring a word (jackass) that led to librarians everywhere getting the vapors and wondering where they could hide the thing (my nearby public library settled on the Teen section). This much is clear - Smith ain’t afraid to make bold choices. I realized after reading, rereading, and reflecting on Lane Smith’s latest book, Grandpa Green, that I’ve spent more time considering (and, at times, being confounded by) Smith’s last two releases than the last two books from pretty much any author. ![]()
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