A Plan for Pops

PreS-Gr 2—Lou visits Grandad and Pops every Saturday, and each week, the boy joins them in their unique ways of celebrating the day. Grandad likes reading the news and creating inventions with Lou, while Pops enjoys rock-and-roll videos and creating interesting culinary concoctions. Lou is happy, until one day Pops has a bad fall and must use a wheelchair. He begins to act less like himself, worrying Lou and Grandad. Together they create an idea to make Pops feel better and to enjoy one another's company once more. Smith has created a heartwarming story about family relationships and how to help loved ones through difficult transitions. Each of the adults helps Lou understand the world a bit better, and Lou himself struggles with his emotions before creating a perfect solution. The story is consistent with the French language edition, with only a few cultural sound effects and expressions changing between languages. The text is legible and simple, with no difficult vocabulary, and is assisted beautifully by Kerrigan's artful illustrations. Each picture provides little details that let readers better understand the personalities of Lou, Grandad, and Pops. They also assist the story greatly by expressing some complex emotions through drawing, especially after Pops falls and life changes.