Grandpa Nick’s Bump

We always need a reminder that God is with us in all situations, because too often we forget; Grandpa Nick’s Bump is a useful reminder of that. Written as a children’s book, it tells the story of a family of four siblings and their energetic and lovable Grandpa Nick. It is heartwarming to read about the interactions that Grandpa Nick has with each of his four grandchildren, who each have unique personalities but are equally captivated by their time with Grandpa Nick. As the story title implies, Grandpa Nick develops a bump on his head that needs removing. Through prayer and pleasant thoughts of their time spent together, the family gets through this time. The family can reflect on their knowledge of God to turn a sad situation into a bearable one. Through creativity, the family can discover ways of keeping his memory alive for now and always.

For such a big and potentially life-altering subject for kids, Lynda Daniele created a children’s book that is appropriate and contains the correct message that needs conveying in a time like in the book, as well as in our current situations. At the beginning of the book, the author gives the reader the challenge of finding the Holy Spirit active in the illustrations; when searching through the pictures, the Holy Spirit makes its appearance in the appropriate ones. I found that on some of the pages, it took an extra second to find the Holy Spirit. I found this comparable to our everyday lives and how we should know that the Holy Spirit is always with us, as is the rest of the Triune God and our guardian angel, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we get so involved in earthly matters that we forget. Loving and caring for our family members seems crucial to us here on earth, but our overall focus should stay on God and on our eventual eternal lives centered on love and caring.

I felt that the illustrations were appropriate for the amount of text given in the story, and they played a role in telling the story themselves through the emotions shown on the characters. The pictures of the real-life Grandpa Nick and his grandkids at the beginning of the story are heartwarming and help the reader visualize the story characters. This book is appropriate for any child, but especially for one who has dealt with the worry associated with a relative having a “bump.” It would be a bonus for everyone if they already had the faith shown in this story, but it would also be miraculous if they developed their faith because of this book.