Grandfather and the Moon

Canadian writer Lapointe's affectionate tale, winner of a Governor General's award, is narrated by a young woman who introduces her grandfather, Adrien. He's "a man of few words," left defeated by the death of his wife, Lucille, "like his heart ran out of gas." He gives his granddaughter a single piece of advice, "Make sure you go and get yourself a degree," which she hears fondly: "I imagined that one day we'd go and get it together." Feeling that Adrien will approve of her adventurous spirit, she enters the Who Will Go to the Moon contest and wins, but her short space journey doesn't go well. No matter; at its end, her grandfather is waiting for her. Although Roge's (Haiti, My Country) mixed-media images have an offhand look, his portraits are full of heart: Adrien's face is lined with care, the granddaughter's is pensive, and the sense of place is strong. In Tanaka's unobtrusive translation, Lapointe's prose is lyrical, meditative, and observant, and, the love between girl and grandfather feels very real, amid the story's fantastical twists. Ages 10-13. (May)

Gr 3 Up--In this French Canadian import, gentle and expressive drawings support delicate text that explores loss, coming-of-age, and space travel. A girl gives an elegy of sorts to her grandfather, who retreats into himself when his wife dies but is a steadfast presence in her life. The girl tries to draw him out of his shell when she randomly wins the Who Will Go to the Moon Contest and goes into space. However, she ejects herself before she reaches the moon because of space's great emptiness ("without warning, like it had always been there just waiting for this moment, the silence came in and sat down very close to me"), and falls to Earth, where her grandfather is sleeping in his soap box--shaped car. The pencil drawings on cut paper are done in taupe, violet, brown, and gray, with mustard and red highlights, and are reminiscent of Isabelle Arsenault's work; the few characters are rendered humorously and solemnly by turn. The unusual format is somewhat graphic novel--esque, or like a long picture book for older readers, or like an illustrated poem, similar to Dasha Tolstikova's A Year Without Mom. Existential and cerebral, with spare text that evokes the strong bond of a grandparent/grandchild relationship and the confusing nature of being alive, this book will resonate strongly with readers open to a profound meditation on loss, family, and memory. VERDICT A gorgeous and innovative rumination on grief for collections with adventurous readers.--Lisa Nowlain, Nevada County Community Library, CA