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Summary
Summary
Once again Tomie dePaola draws upon his childhood, this time telling about his Irish grandfather, who says to him, "We're named after each other, Tommy. That's why I want you to call me Tom, instead of Grandpa". They share lots of silly times, which dePaola recounts in this charming book. Full color.
Author Notes
Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut on September 15, 1934. He received a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in 1956, a M.F.A. from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1969, and a doctoral equivalency from Lone Mountain College in 1970.
He has written and/or illustrated more than 270 books including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, Meet the Barkers, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, and Oliver Button Is a Sissy. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure. His murals and paintings can be seen in many churches and monasteries throughout New England. He has designed greeting cards, magazine and record album covers, and theater sets. His work is shown in galleries and museums.
Tomie dePaola died on March 30, 2020 because of complications he had from surgery after a fall.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-- As he did in Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs (Puffin, 1978) and The Art Lesson (Putnam, 1989), de Paola has used his own childhood memories to create a slice-of-family-life picture book. The simple, plain text tells of the close relationship between Tommy and his namesake grandfather, Tom. They read the comics together, act out poems and make up stories, and, in the final vignette, play practical jokes with discarded chicken parts (Tom is a butcher, by trade). The pictures are in the artist's familiar style, but they have more personality than some of his recent books in which the figures seem merely decorative. Tom and Tommy seem to be truly interacting rather than just posing in the same frame. There is a lively yet homey look to the characters and their surroundings. Although this book does not have the depth of feeling found in some of the author's previous titles, readers are given a fond glimpse of a grandfather who is a bit of a character and who, most importantly, loves his grandson. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The newest addition to this prolific author's library of autobiographical picture books celebrates his childhood relationship with his grandfather--``We're named after each other, Tommy. That's why I want you to call me Tom instead of Grandpa.'' Together they read the Sunday comics, share stories, or tend to the butcher section of Tom's store. While the actual story line is minimal--Tommy gets in trouble for scaring classmates with a chicken-foot prank Tom taught him--the fans who cherish these reminiscences (adults as well as children) will welcome this skillful evocation of an all-important intergenerational bond. Touches of old-world humor and wisdom add sparkle to the tale, in which dePaola's idiosyncratic, apple-cheeked characters are rendered in bright, sunny colors. The sepia-toned portraits, simulating pictures from a scrapbook, that adorn the jacket and title page enhance the book's nostalgic tone. Ages 4-8. (Feb. ) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In a story based on his own childhood, Tomie dePaola tells about little Tommy's regular Sunday visits with his grandfather, Tom. Tom shows Tommy how to move the tendons in a chicken's feet to make the claws open and close and then gives Tommy a pair. When Monday comes, Tommy tries out his chicken-claw hands at school with shrieking results. With gentle humor and his usual mastery of line and composition, dePaola conveys the strong bond of affection between Tom and little Tommy. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Another autobiographical story from dePaola, this time about his grandfather, who ingenuously explains that ``We're named after each other, Tommy. That's why I want you to call me Tom instead of Grandpa.'' In the best tradition, these two are allies: Tom sings silly songs till Tommy gets the giggles, and both retreat from Nana's scolding to tell stories by the furnace. Tommy also helps out in Tom's grocery, and on one memorable occasion he buries a chicken head to see whether it will grow a ``chicken bush'' as Tom says it will. Later, he has a grand time scaring people (all female) with a pair of chicken feet until he's caught with them in school and brings home a note forbidding him ``to bring chicken feet to school ever again.'' A delightfully offbeat vignette of boyish mischief reinforcing the bond between generations; dePaola's handsomely designed illustrations have unusual warmth here, subtly expressing the characters' affection. (Picture book. 4-8)
Booklist Review
Ages 5-7. In his newest autobiographical picture book, dePaola champions the special relationship he had with his grandfa~ther, after whom he was named. Tom reads the comics to young Tommy, inventing voices and causing hilari~ty. Too much laughter often banishes them to the cellar or out~doors, where Tom tells stories while Tommy listens with rapt attention. The g~randfathe~r's sense of mischief carries over to the small grocery Tom and Nana own. One day Tom, a butcher, gives his grand~son two newly severed chicken feet, showing Tommy how the tendons make the feet move. Tommy, with an inherited sense of devilment, paints the claws red, stuffs the feet into his long-sleeved shirt (obscuring his hands), and scares both his classmates and his teacher. But even repercussions don't stop this pair from planning new endeav~ors. The roles of the characters are clearly defined here. Youngsters will bask in the delicious con~spiracy between grandfather and grand~son. The sturdy pen-and-ink and watercolor-wash paintings done in strong, fresh colors fit the setting and the situa~tions to a tee. As always, dePaola draws body and facial expressions with aplomb. For story hours, interge~ne~rational units, and humor stud~ies, this book is a trea~sure. ~--Deborah Abbott
