What Makes a Real Grandpa? Written by Kevin B. Bickford and Illustrated by Sasha Baines

“What Makes a REAL Grandpa?” is a special picture book written by Alberta’s Kevin B. Bickford as a way to help families navigate conversations about their family unit.

William, who is a smart 7-year-old boy in grade 2, has a large, unique family with a younger brother, twin sisters, and 3 grandpas! One day his teacher asks her class to create a story about their Grandma and Grandpa. William knows he wants to write about his Grandma Louise and Grandpa George. His parents suggest he write a story about one of his other grandpas because George is not his “real” grandpa. William does not understand and asks why. His parents explain that George is not his biological Grandfather. Feeling quite sad, William brings up his concerns to his Grandpa George and George tells him a story. The story starts and ends with a promise he made to William when he was born, that he would always be there for him. He then cites many wonderful examples of their shared experiences from the time William was born until the present, which created the bond and love they have for one another.

Inspired by something his oldest grandson said to him one day and by his true-life experience of being a step-grandparent, Bickford wrote this debut picture book to help children make sense of the word family, a family based on love, not blood. This story is sure to create many questions, and conversations about what makes a family, and about the many unique family structures and units. It would make a great addition to any preschool library or a preschooler’s home library.

What Makes a Real Grandpa? is author Kevin B. Bickford‘s debut publication. Inspired by his true-life experience of being a step-grandparent to his wonderful grandchildren, Kevin lives in Alberta, Canada with his wife, where he loves spending time with his family and friends.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ FriesenPress (Oct. 27 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1039178812
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1039178816

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.