Now One Foot, Now the Other

Bobby must contend with some unwelcome changes when Bob, his beloved grandfather, has a stroke. Used to doing everything with Bob, Bobby finds it distressing when the stroke takes him away, and then returns him a different man. Some things haven't changed however, and the most important of those is the love between grandson and grandfather, and soon Bobby is helping to teach Bob all the things—like speaking and walking—that his elder once taught him...

Originally published in 1981, Now One Foot, Now the Other is another one of those poignant and ultimately heartwarming family stories from author/illustrator Tomie dePaola, billed as a companion to his 1973 Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs. Like that earlier picture book, it features show more the loving bond between a young child and his grandparents, and the grief and confusion when illness (or death, in the earlier book) causes a separation. The story here had me tearing up a little bit, given the role reversal between Bob and Bobby, something that I think I found particularly moving owing to the fact that I am currently the caregiver for my elderly mother, who has dementia. I certainly found something I could relate to here, and I suspect many young children with elderly relatives might as well. The accompanying illustrations are trademark dePaola—I'd recognize them anywhere—and have a certain vintage appeal. Recommended to anyone seeking picture books about children and their grandparents, and stories about strokes and other illnesses in our elderly loved ones. show less

Bobby is named after his best friend: his grandfather, Bob, who helps him in learning everything as a baby, including how to walk -- now one foot, now the other. But one day when Bobby is a bit older, his world is shaken when Bob suffers from a stroke and isn't able to play with him like he used or express himself with words. Slowly and over time, Bob regains some of his abilities and, with Bobby's help, he learns to walk again -- now one foot, now the other.

Wow, this book is powerful one. If your family has a loved one who has suffered a stroke or another debilitating illness or injury, this book would definitely be a great one for discussing that with your child(ren). On the other hand, if you just grabbed a book at random off the show more picture book shelf based on its cover, this is a doozy. As you might have guessed, I was the latter. I read it to the children I was babysitting without having pre-read it first (a mistake, I know). They listened fairly attentively and surprisingly didn't ask questions, but I'm thinking much of it went over their heads completely.

I would recommend this book for those families in a similar situation, but I think it could be scary for children who haven't experienced this issue; no need to worry them by presenting this book with an issue that may or may not ever affect them. show less

Shows strong bonds with extended family (Grandpa/Bob). Helps kids understand that adults may get sick, and it's ok to be sad and scared about this. Also shows that it's important to still be with people if they get sick, and try to help them if you can.

Strega Nona was always one of my favorite books by Tomie de Paola so I was extremely excited to read Now One Foot, Now the Other and I loved it just as much. The story is about a little boy named Bobby who's grandfather, named Bob, is his best friend. Bob has a stroke, and Bobby is forced to deal with the fact his best friend is a very different person than the last time he saw him before the stroke. The story is extremely relatable for young children who may be dealing with the decline of a grandparent or a loss of one. It shows Bobby's confusion and worry about his grandfather's illness and I think his feelings are universal amongst not only young children but all people during times of a loved one becoming sick. Eventually, Bobby show more starts to help his grandfather gain back some strength and by the end of the story, his grandfather is showing a lot of progress. The main message of this story is to never give up on the one's you love. show less

A reassuring intergenerational story about coping with illness in the family. The title refers to what Bobby's grandfather Bob would tell him when Bobby was a baby learning to walk. As Bobby grows up he spends lots of time with Bob, playing and asking him to tell stories, especially the one about him learning to walk. Then Bob suffers a stroke. When he finally returns home from the hospital, Bobby is scared of him because he isn't the same. But he decides to play the same games and tell Bob the stories he remembers hearing. Bob slowly recuperates and soon Bobby is helping him relearn how to walk: Now one foot, now the other.

“Now One Foot, Now the Other” is a touching story about the relationship between a little boy and his grandfather as the older man recovers from a stroke. The big idea of this story is to give children hope that their grandparents will be okay after suffering from a stroke. I enjoyed this book because the story line was very appropriate for the topic. When children are young, they are constantly cared for by their parents, grandparents and other caregivers. However, these children will one day be the ones to take care of their elderly parents, grandparents or other caregivers. In “Now One Foot, Not the Other,” the author addresses this role reversal: the little boy, Bobby, learns to walk from his grandfather; after the stroke, show more the grandfather uses the boy’s shoulders to learn to walk again. I also enjoyed this book because of Bobby’s characterization. Both the text and the illustrations added to the characterization, showing that Bobby really cared for his Grandfather and enjoyed his company. show less

This story was extremely touching and I was able to strongly relate to the story. The story explains a Grandpa helping his young Grandson and teaching him about different things over the course of his childhood. This story was very relatable for me because my Grandpa was a role model and a teacher to me. He helped me as a child and cared for me as the Grandfather in the story does for his Grandson. I felt that the illustrations told a separate story and made me reminisce of the memories I have of my Grandpa. I loved how the illustrations were vivid and the colors made the setting seem realistic. Overall, the characteristics of the text bring out the emotions of the story and allowed me to connect the book to my personal life.