This wonderful book about relying on your senses when you are blind demonstrates that blind people can lead a productive life. Grandpa shares his zest for life with his grandson, John. At first John does not understand how his grandpa is able to do all that he does. Grandpa shares his secret. As a preservice teacher I've used this book to talk about aging and its effects with my students. We also talk about what we can do to help others who have disabilities. This is an excellent book to allow children to examine their thoughts on older people and disabilities.

This is a very nicely written story about a boy and his grandfather, who is blind. It portrays a close, loving relationship between the two, and explains in a very simple and positive way how the grandfather perceives the world without his visual sense. The accompanying drawings are simple and artistic. It is so difficult to find realistic, beautiful books for children, but this one is absolutely wonderful. I give it my highest recommendation.

I thought this was a wonderful book for the classroom, especially since I am studying to be a teacher. Now that I'm a parent though, I think it shows the aspects of a relationship with grandparents, and some of the things that the girl did with her grandmother remind me of my childhood. It is a great way to foster a nostalgic feeling both at home and at school. A must have for teachers and parents alike!

It all starts with the delivery of a box of delicious oranges from Lily's Grandma in California. From there, we spend a year with Lily in her Maine home and watch as she and her garden grow and change month-by-month. The delightful journey also contains a narrative comparison between Lily's Maine garden and Grandma's California growing season (which never ends!). Lily's Garden is beautifully illustrated and has lovely asides providing anecdotal information on the things Lily is doing in and for her garden (a short history of oranges, how to make maple syrup, vegetables in Lily's Garden, Grandma's Blueberry Pancake recipe, etc.). The joys of the seasons and the excitement of gardening are nicely captured in this fun book.

As someone with a severe hearing loss, and also the father of a 7 year old girl with a profound hearing loss--I thought the focus of the book was too much on what the sister, who is deaf, could not do. Too stereotypical--I would NOT recommend this book for purchase.

I found this book to be very useful in talking about differences and believe that it CAN be a very useful tool in developing curricula around differences and treatment of people who are perceived as "different." Perfect? No, but nicely told through the eyes of a child.