I feel honoured to be on the book tour for Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate. This breath-taking picture book made me so emotional, it left me lost for words. It is one of my top picks for 2021!
The book captures a granddaughter’s visit to see her Grandad, who is mourning the loss of the love of his life, Gramps.
The end papers are nothing short of spectacular and really bind the story together (physically and metaphorically!). In the opening papers, we see a young Grandad with Gramps driving in their camper. Through the book the little girl learns all about her grandparent’s adventures in their camper. And finally we see the camper driving in a glorious warm sunset. It gives me goosebumps every time I look at them!
As soon as my daughter saw this book, she grabbed it from me and wanted to read it herself. And the magical part was, she could! She can’t read yet, but Harry’s illustrations have depicted the story so perfectly, that my daughter could tell me the story from the pictures. We marvelled at the glorious scenery Harry has created, from the super tall sunflowers in Grandad’s garden, to the sunset beach BBQ. My daughter particularly loved how Harry had laid out some of the memories to look like photographs.
During the course of story, we realise that Gramps has sadly died. Now, her grandparent’s beloved camper is gathering rust in the garage. Grandad explains it hasn’t felt the same travelling without Gramps. But the little girl has a plan. Perhaps the camper has more adventures after all…
This beautiful story has universal messages of love, loss, grief and togetherness. But what I adore most about Grandad’s Camper, is that it explores these themes whilst celebrating a multi-ethnic family with grandparents in the LGBT community. I loved every single inch of this book, from cover to cover. I could look at Harry’s artwork all day, and their words are just as moving as their illustrations. Grandad’s Camper is one of my top picks for 2021 (and probably the decade!).
Published by Andersen Press, 6 May 2021
If you just can’t wait for your copy of the book to arrive, you can watch Harry reading the book via Moon Lane TV and they give a lovely introduction about what inspired them to write Grandad’s Camper.
Don’t forget to join in with the rest of the book tour!
I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary review contains my honest opinion.
Picture Book Perfect 
Thank you so much for including my review of Grandad’s Camper. Your round-up put a big smile on my face, there has been so much to celebrate in children’s publishing this week!
LikeLike