Periwinkle's Chair is a heartwarming true story of a grandfather as told by his young granddaughter. While her grandpa is anticipating her birth, he embarks on a mission to ensure that she will always remember him. Periwinkle takes us along as she traces his footsteps creating a "forever" treasure for her. Periwinkle reminds us that love in a family is everlasting and that healing can take on many forms as we deal with a life changing event.
Periwinkle's Chair is a heartwarming true story of a grandfather as told by his young granddaughter. While her grandpa is anticipating her birth, he embarks on a mission to ensure that she will always remember him. Periwinkle takes us along as she traces his footsteps creating a "forever" treasure for her. Periwinkle reminds us that love in a family is everlasting and that healing can take on many forms as we deal with a life changing event.
Periwinkle's Chair is a beautifully illustrated children's book that celebrates the love of family.
The story is really about Periwinkle's grandfather and his last year on Earth, as told to us by Periwinkle herself. He was a kind, generous and loved man who left behind his love and affection for his grandchild via a handmade rocking chair.
For a children's book, this is a very serious subject matter and I couldn't get my elementary school kid interested in it. I would recommend adjusting the target audience to older kids, who may find the language easy but will be able to grasp the message and the emotions.
Through Periwinkle's Chair, Judith Zeilenga pours personal grief onto the page and helps us navigate the difficult subject. I would recommend this to any parent who is looking to broach this subject with his or her child.
My favorite part of the book were the illustrations by the artist Cheryl Cook. They lend depth to the text and created a feeling of warmth and love. A small noticeable detail was the periwinkle ribbons that were hidden in the illustrations - the official ribbon of “Esophageal Cancer Awareness".
I think it was a nice gesture to help raise awareness through this very personal story.