GRANDPA'S TRACTOR

A grandfather and his grandson share the sweetness of reminiscence and evoke a bygone era. In his bright yellow car, Grandpa Joe takes Timmy to see the farm where he lived as a boy. Arriving at the dilapidated farmhouse, they see the barn with its caved-in roof, a silo with no top and the rusted hulk of the old red tractor. It is this last, the titular tractor, that launches the true trip back in time to Grandpa Joe’s childhood. As he shares his memories with Timmy, the boy is able to look beyond the rundown reality and see the farm the way it was, the tractor at the heart of all activity. More than just a machine to plow the fields, plant the seed and gather the hay, the tractor brought father and son together. As one, the family got behind the tractor to pick apples in the fall, to sell the vegetables they had planted and to choose a Christmas tree. Garland’s digital illustrations reinforce the sense of nostalgia—Timmy and Grandpa Joe drive past row upon row of houses, identical but for the color except for the old farmhouse. The pages from the past have a brightness to them that is lacking in the pages from the present day. Sure to spark “what was life like…?” questions, this has strong cross-generational appeal. (Picture book. 5-8)