Sue Stefurak (Children's Literature)
When Grandpa starts forgetting that root beer floats need his homemade ice cream, his granddaughter sings "Danny Boy" with him to help him remember what's important. They sing and listen to the song with their hearts and not their ears. In true Irish fashion, Grandpa makes up rhymes, loves shenanigans, and plays with his granddaughter Kathleen every August when she visits. He builds her a doll house and carves two hearts and a tiny swing on the front porch. Then he moves in with his daughter, because he's forgetting too much. Karim injects levity into this emotional subject when the now close Grandpa promises not to pick Mrs. McConacky's marigolds but forgets the gist of the promise and picks Mrs. McC's petunias instead. When the shadowy days happen, Kathleen sings "Danny Boy" with Grandpa, and reminds all with or without Irish blood to listen with their hearts. Faraway Grandpa gives us a glimpse into the spirit of the Irish through Karim's rich melodic text. Although Ted Rand's illustrations are masterful, his grandpa looks closer to Saint Nick than an elderly Irish gentleman. 2004, Henry Holt & Co, $17.00. Ages 4 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 16))
Every summer, Kathleen and her parents hitch up the horses and visit Grandpa Danny. She receives a letter (dated 1915) telling her to be sure and bring the words to "Danny Boy" so they can sing it together. The summer is joyful and filled with singing on the front porch and homemade root beer and ice cream. But the next year, Kathleen receives no letter, and when they arrive, they find Gramps has changed. He doesn't remember the ice cream and forgets a great many things. He comes home with them and a series of incidents indicates Gramps is suffering from something like Alzheimer's: he puts eggs in his sock drawer and he forgets yesterday. But, Kathleen sings "Danny Boy" with him, pretends that they are on his front porch, and, with a loving heart, is a true companion to him. Rand's lovely pastels, furnishings, and clothing recall a bygone era with the warmth of this intergenerational bond. 2004, Henry Holt, 36p, $16.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 6 to 8. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Leslie Greaves Radloff (Library Media Connection, March 2005)
Set in the early 1900s, Kathleen and her family visit grandpa each summer. Rituals are part of the visit beginning with singing of "Danny Boy," a song Grandpa Danny takes particular delight in. One year, though, there are changes in Grandpa. Kathleen can't understand them or call them by name, though today they might be identified as the result of stroke, dementia, or Alzheimer's. Those changes bring Grandpa to live with Kathleen's family where he becomes the child. Told with poignancy from Kathleen's point of view, readers share her confusion over some of Grandpa's actions, and become concerned with her when he disappears one day. Through it all, Kathleen and Grandpa love one another as Kathleen matures, becoming his caregiver in a sense. While there is a sense that Grandpa's decline happens too quickly, it does seem that a year passes between visits. Grandpa's actions might seem farfetched, unless you've lived with or cared for someone whose health has undergone major changes seemingly overnight. Ted Rand's skilled hand captures each of the emotions in the text. Young children and older readers struggling with changes in their grandparents will feel a tie to the idea of "listening with the heart." Recommended. 2004, Henry Holt & Company, 32pp., $16.95 hc. Ages 5 to 9.