Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa

July 15, 2015
Llama Llama reaches another childhood milestone-his first sleepover.Llama Llama is going to spend the night at Gram and Grandpa's house. It is his first trip away from home. He packs his bag and grabs his favorite stuffed animal, Fuzzy Llama. When Mama drives away, Fuzzy can be seen all alone, still inside the car. Observant readers will spot the problem right away, but Llama Llama doesn't realize Fuzzy is missing until he unpacks. He tries very hard to be brave. He doesn't tell anyone and even makes Fuzzy a tiny chair in Grandpa's workshop. But at night, when it is finally time to go to sleep, Llama Llama's lip quivers, and his eyes well up with tears. "Llama needs his Fuzzy near, / but FUZZY LLAMA ISN'T HERE!" Luckily, Grandpa Llama has the perfect solution, and everyone can sleep tight. Dewdney's familiar staccato rhymes highlight family warmth and togetherness, plus a little levity too. "Grandma's house has different food. / Something squishy. Something stewed." All can relate to that (and it turns out to be quite tasty).For longtime fans and new readers of the beloved Llama Llama series alike, this won't disappoint. (Picture book. 3-6)

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September 1, 2015

PreS-Dewdney tackles the topic of staying at Gram and Grandpa's overnight. Llama is excited for his special visit as he packs up his clothes and his stuffed animal, Fuzzy Llama. However, when he unpacks, he realizes, rather upsettingly, that his comfort object was left behind. Gram and Grandpa spend the day distracting little Llama by playing outside or building in the workshop, but with each activity, he anxiously remembers Fuzzy Llama's absence. While the text carries along with a seemingly pleasing nighttime routine ("Take a bath./Then comb and brush./Settle in for stories. Hush./Finish books/and get a kiss"), the illustrations show Llama looking more distressed and anxious before bed. After Gram asks what's the matter, we watch as "Llama's lips begin to quiver./Llama starts to shake and shiver./Llama needs his Fuzzy near, /but FUZZY LLAMA ISN'T HERE!" The following page shows all three Llamas looking at readers for help. Quickly, it's Grandpa who finds a solution. Grandpa offers a special toy from when he was just a little boy. In a satisfying ending, Llama realizes he's not alone and that he's in his "home... away from home." With a carefully crafted rhyming text and comforting painted images that match genuinely the emotion of a toddler's first night away from home, this book is a charming success. VERDICT Parents and caregivers will appreciate the reassuring message that this story offers for one-on-one sharing, and it will function as a heartwarming read-aloud in a bedtime-themed storytime.-Brianne Colombo, Pequannock Township Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
The latest in this popular series finds the young llama having his first sleepover with resourceful, sensitive Gram and Grandpa. The color-soaked, canvas-textured oil paint, colored pencil, and oil pastel illustrations capture Llama Llama's changing emotions as he packs, travels, and stays overnight, despite his forgotten stuffed animal. Short, rhymed, singsongy sentences move the predictable story about negotiating new experiences along.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)