The Greatest

Name: The Greatest
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Veera Hiranandani
ISBN: 9798217064816

Author: Veera Hiranandani

Narrator: Veera Hiranandani

Unabridged: 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Listening Library

Published: 09/03/2024

Categories: Children's Fiction, Religious Stories, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

In this poignant tribute to grandparents everywhere, a grandfather reflects on his loving relationship with his three grandchildren. This story beautifully captures how love can make anyone "the greatest" in someone's eyes.

A NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

From Newbery Honor author Veera Hiranandani and National Book Award finalist Vesper Stamper comes a poignant story about the love between grandparents and grandchildren.

Grandpa loves Sundays-- that's when his three grandchildren come to visit. They act out plays, catch fireflies in the yard, and celebrate Jewish holidays together. His grandchildren bestow affection and admiration on him. Sometimes, though, he wonders why they think he's so great? Should he tell them that he's just an average, ordinary man?

Here is a book that wonderfully captures how simple, everyday moments can turn into treasured memories, and how the power of love makes us all the "greatest" to somebody.

About The Author

Veera Hiranandani, author of the Newbery Honor–winning The Night Diary, earned her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of The Whole Story of Half a Girl, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book and a South Asia Book Award finalist, and How to Find What You're Not Looking For, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award and the New York Historical Society Children's History Book Prize. A former editor at Simon & Schuster, she now teaches in the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA Program at The Vermont College of Fine Arts.Vesper Stamper writes and illustrates novels which tell, through both words and pictures, stories of history’s rhymes. Her debut illustrated YA novel, What the Night Sings, about the aftermath of the Holocaust through the eyes of a young musician, was a National Book Award Nominee, a National Jewish Book Award Finalist, a Morris Award Finalist, Golden Kite Honor Book and Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner, and was named one of the Best YA Books of 2018/9 by YALSA, the Wall Street Journal and Kirkus. Vesper has a BFA in Illustration from Parsons and an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from School of Visual Arts. She teaches illustration at School of Visual Art.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rod on February 12, 2025

I liked the silent subplot with the grandson, but the rest of the book didn't do much for me as I quickly tired of the old man's "aw shucks" humble-bragging about his relationship with his grandchildren. Admittedly, I had no grandparents who played a major role in my life so I'm probably missing a se......more

Goodreads review by Beth on July 16, 2024

A simple yet emotional story of a grandfather whose love for his grandchildren make them think he’s the greatest grandfather. In his own mind he bristles at this thought, but at as the story progresses, you start to see that for these kids, his time and love and storytelling make him the greatest fo......more

Goodreads review by Hannah on December 27, 2024

"maybe love is like a mirror and it's reflected back and forth/until it glows so bright, everything is surrounded by that light." features the joy of loving a grandparent, and a family celebrating Hanukkah and a seder dinner.......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on September 13, 2024

It's the little things and those small moments that build lasting memories and bonds, a notion that is captured perfectly in this picture book. Readers may be misled by the book's title, initially thinking that this will be the story of some famous athlete, rock star, or even a politician or elected......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on November 09, 2024

It is lovely to have a picture book featuring a grandfather. Also very nice to see the Jewish faith and traditions emphasized. Yet the focus on the grandfather's repetitive self-effacing reflections left me convinced that this book will appeal far more to adults than to children. The three grandkids......more

Quotes

★ "A moving ode to family connection [and a] demonstrative work about the expansive strength of ordinary love." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A joyous, sweet, and tender tale of intergenerational love." —Kirkus Reviews

"An homage to the joyous bond between grandparents and grandchildren, this works as a read-aloud or for one-on-one sharing." —Booklist