Back to main page A Trip With Grandma Sample interior pages (click on image for bigger version): Sample rough (click on image for bigger version): Author and illustrator: Ruth Ohi Annick, 2006 ISBN: 1554510716 Order this book online. Sprout loves his Grandma. He also likes trucks, trains, and seeing new places. But when Grandma invites him and his big sister on an overnight trip, Sprout is nervous. After all, he's never slept away from Mom and Dad before. Soon they're on the road passing big rigs, at a restaurant with dancing chickens, and in the shadows of the tallest-ever trees. With so much to see and phone home about, will Sprout's doubts soon be forgotten? Reviews From Quill & Quire (June/2007): Ruth Ohi; $19.95 cloth 978-1-55451-072-6, $6.95 paper 978-1-55451-071-9, 32 pp., 8 x 8, Annick Press, Feb. (ages 4-7) Ruth Ohi’s latest picture book, her third to feature guinea pig characters, is a charming story about a young child’s first overnight trip without his parents. Though little Sprout likes seeing new places and loves his grandma, the prospect of an overnight excursion to Bumper’s Valley with just Grandma and his big sister makes him uncomfortable. Not even Sprout’s trusty stuffed animal companion Flatmouse can take the place of Mom and Dad. In the end, of course, Sprout has a great time on his trip. This is due in no small part to his hip and capable Grandma, who understands that stopping for double chocolate ice cream and going out to a restaurant with dancing chickens are just as important as seeing the world’s tallest trees at Bumper’s Forest. Ohi tells Sprout’s tale in the same format she used to recount how big sister Clara dealt with an overbearing friend in Clara and the Bossy. We are not told again and again that Sprout is nervous, but we see it ­ in his quick agreement with Grandma’s suggestions to phone home on a regular basis, and in his inability to sleep at the hotel, for example. Ohi keeps the story lighthearted in tone, however, with cheerful watercolour illustrations of her anthropomorphic characters and the occasional speech balloon that gives extra details (such as Flatmouse’s ambition to be a construction worker train conductor airplane pilot when he grows up). While the story may be employed as bibliotherapy for youngsters soon to face their own first time away from Mom and Dad, it is also a great read-aloud book for any occasion. Reviewed by Nadine d'Entremont From Today's Parent Magazine (Aug/2007): ...Grandma's gentle wisdom and sly suggestions help Sprout discover the brave adventurer inside himself. Charming illustrations celebrate Sprout's sweet emancipation. From the Globe & Mail (Sat Mar 31st, 2007): "A Trip with Grandma, written and illustrated by Ruth Ohi, Annick, 32 pages, $6.95, ages 4 to 7 The tricky, often tearful business of separating small children from their parents for that first overnight away from home is the subject here. It's hard to think of a more delightful account of this significant childhood moment than this one, in which the very small, plump protagonist is Sprout. Sprout is a cheerful, wide-eyed member of the rodent family, who loves big trucks, long trains and seeing new places -- but always with his parents, and with his favourite toy, Flatmouse, who appears to be exactly what his name suggests he might be. If Sprout is the hero of this tale, then Grandma must be the heroine. It is she who invites Sprout, his sister Clara and, of course, Flatmouse on a trip to Bumper's Valley. It's a day's drive away and, as she tells her grandchildren, they'll have to stay overnight in a hotel. You can see the whites of Sprout's eyes at this news. But Grandma's intuitive good sense and impeccable timing about when a call home or a double chocolate ice cream cone is required make the trip a tearless pleasure for all. Even Grandma's snoring serves the common good: Sprout finds it necessary to sleep in her bed so that he can let her know when she's snoring." Canadian Materials Review: "Ohi's watercolours make the outing with Grandma sparkle...Ohi tells this story of an event in Sprout's "growing up" with insight. The loving support of family is evident. This is a book for adults and children to read together many times." Copyright © 2007 Ruth Ohi. Please do not use material without permission. Base URL: http://www.ruthohi.com/