GRANDPA GETS ILL

GRANDPA GETS ILL In the third book in this series featuring the endearing grandpa Dimitri, his little grandchildren Thanos, Thodoris and Maria get an unpleasant shock: their planned walk in the National Gardens is cancelled because grandpa is ill in bed. As if this wasn’t bad enough, in the end he has to have a heart operation as well. But what is an operation? How can grandpa possibly get ill? and how can he be ill in his heart? Grandpa has a heart of gold! The children have never before had to deal with illness in someone they love. Their parents help them to understand that as you get older, the body inevitably gets worn out, that the good times are overshadowed now and then by the bad times. But if there is plenty of love and faith, the problems can mostly be overcome. And in fact, grandpa Dimitri recovers and they all go together to the house in the countryside. In this book, newly published by Porphyra Publications, the children’s carefree existence is interrupted for a brief time, they are troubled and confused, and are introduced carefully and gently to difficult situations which they will have to confront in life, such as the illness of a loved one. At the end optimism triumphs. In any case, as we have said, grandpa Dimitri has a heart of gold! Educational activities Apart from this very touching story, richly illustrated, there are also educational activities for the children which will occupy them creatively after they have finished reading. For example, with the help of a grown-up, children can learn how to make a picture frame out of simple materials (thick cardboard, paints, beads, buttons or shells) to decorate grandpa’s bedroom. Or, in a series of very simple steps, they can make lavender bags to put in drawers with clothing, to make them smell nice and to keep away unwanted insects. Grandpa Gets Ill by Dimitris Chios