Grandma's Purple Flowers

The young girl in this book has a very special relationship with her grandma. She likes to pick her grandma purple flowers,tell her stories, and bake with her. One day, we see the grandma feeling ill and we find out that she passes away later that night. The girl is very sad, but her mother encourages her to continue playing outside like the many times she walked to her grandmother's house. On the way to the house one day, she spots purple flowers that remind her of her grandmother. Now every time she sees purple flowers, she happily remembers her grandmother's big hugs and giant smiles.
I think the book addresses the passing of a loved one in an appropriate way for a child to understand and relate to. The main character experiences the show more normal emotions of a child going through the same thing in real life. The character does end the book on a note of happiness for all the memories she has of her grandmother. I hope children see this ending and reflect on their lost loved ones in the same manner. show less

When I picked out this book I thought that it was going to be a happy book but as you read you realize that it's sad. The book is about a little girl who loves to go to her grandmother's house to spend time together. She always picks flowers for her grandma on her way over. She picks daisies, sunflowers, and purple flowers. One winter her grandma dies and the little girl is left with a broken heart. As spring comes back around the little girl finds happiness in the new flowers that bloom and remind her of her grandma. Even though the book was sad it also showed the reader how sometimes you need to find happiness in the memories left behind by those who have passed away. This was a loving and compassionate story. The illustrations were show more also very interesting, it seems like the pictures were done with pieces of paper glued together. I enjoyed this heartwarming story of a relationship between a girl and her grandmother. show less

I liked this book because it told a relatable touching story that almost any person could pick up and enjoy. This story was bittersweet and at the end it made me want to give my grandmother a phone call. The language of this story was very clear and short. The author uses a lot of figurative language as a tool in the book, for example when talking about her grandmother she says, “her smile grows wide like the Mississippi River”. The writing flows very well and is paced at a good speed. For example (spoiler ahead) at the end of the book we find out that Grandmother has passed away, but there is a slow build up of going to see grandma every day, the noticing grandma isn’t feeling well, grandma getting sick, and then passing away. It show more was not just a sudden surprise. The point of view is a first-person point of view from the granddaughter’s perspective. The plot is organized and has some tension when the Grandmother passes away, but it mostly is heartwarming and talks about the relationship of a grandmother and granddaughter. The illustrations are warm and nostalgic which help enhance the story to make you feel the characters emotions and relate it back to yourself. The book also pushes readers to think about a difficult topic, death; this book also may be emotional and difficult for some people as they can relate it back to their personal life. The big idea I got from this book is to cherish your loved ones and look back at your memories with them fondly. show less

In my opinion, this was an excellent book. The first reason that I liked this book was because of the pictures. Every page was made with a paper collage technique which was very colorful and vibrant. I love this kind of graphic, especially as the seasons changed throughout the story. Another reason that I loved that book was the language. It was beautifully written and the language was very descriptive. One line that I loved was, "Skipping through the park in the summer, the sun winks at me. I spin round and round throwing kisses to the sun." Not only do I enjoy the language on this page, but also the picture. The leaves on the trees in the park seem to be popping off of the page. The main idea of this story was death and it was show more portrayed through every season as well. The grandmother grew weaker throughout the seasons and died in winter. A main symbol used was the flowers in the spring, which also represented the Grandma when she was gone, which played a role in Hyacinth's life and reminded her of her grandmother, which made her happy again. show less

I liked this book for several main reasons. Starting with the characters, the little girl and her grandmother have a well-developed relationship that the author shows through their actions in the story. The two spend a lot of time with each other and it is very clear that their love lasts throughout the entire story. Towards the beginning of the book the little girl says, “I stop and pick purple flowers, all kinds of purple flowers – Grandma’s favorite…When Grandma sees the purple flowers, her smile grows wide, like the Mississippi River where Grandma and I sometimes sit”. They make memories from their time spent together and their love for purple flowers.

Another reason why I liked this book is the illustrations, and how they show more fit the story very well. It looked like the scenes incorporated construction paper, where every image was stunning and suited the style of the text well. The winter scenes are my favorite because of how the illustrator incorporates snow into the setting. While this book discusses some more mature concepts and can leave the reader feeling sad at times, the message of the story is that the connections we make with special people in our lives may fade, but learning to remember the good things will take us back to why we love these people so much. show less

I like how the book is so realistic to African American culture. The book takes you through the eyes of Hyacinth and the activities she did with her grandmother. This book is written in first person point of view. I also like how the book tells the reader about the day before her grandmothers death and the pain Hyacinth felt. Most children books I have read before do not talk about the child’s personal feelings of pain.

As the book developed the character Hyacinth becomes more understanding of her grandmothers death. Hyacinth starts to relate purple flowers with her grandmother.

I really enjoyed the read and I think it is relatable to a lot of African American children in the south who lost their grandmother. There is a lot of show more culturally influenced details in the book that I can relate to with my own grandmother. show less

I liked this book for many reasons. The first reason was the plot. It was very organized and well paced. I liked that when the grandmother died in the book, it was very abrupt. I think this is important because it shows that sometimes we do not know when we are going to lose people in our lives. Although grief and death are hard topics to discuss, the book pushes the readers to think about tough issues. I like the language in the book a lot. The author uses personification such as, "the sun winks at me". The author also uses similes such as, "her smile grows wide like the Mississippi River". The use of figurative language really makes the book fun to read. I also really enjoyed the illustrations in the book. They were very colorful and show more really added emphasis to the story. show less