Roller Coaster Kid

by Mary Ann Rodman, Roger Roth

Overview

A grandfather and grandson share a special love

Zach and his grandpa love all of the same things . . . except the roller coaster. His grandpa once rode it one hundred times! But Zach doesn't like the roller coaster. So when Grandpa goes on it every summer, Zach goes on the Big wheel with Grandma. She understands. But one summer, Grandma is gone and Grandpa is not the same. He misses her terribly. So does Zach.

But he also wants his grandpa to be happy again. What will it take? Maybe a ride on the roller coaster? Heart-warming and uplifting, here is a story for every family that loves and cares for one another.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101644102
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/05/2012
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	40
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mary Ann Rodman has won both the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and the Charlotte Zolotow Award for writing. She lives with her husband and daughter in Georgia.

Roger Roth has done illustration work for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He lives with his wife and daughter and two dogs in Pennsylvania.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for The Roller Coaster Kid by Mary Ann Rodman:

"Rodman gives the story just the right measure of emotion, while underlining the importance of mourning and communication." —Publishers Weekly

"Presented with warmth, sensitivity and a light touch, this story demonstrates the human need for sharing and support ... and emphasizes the need for communication and comfort." —Kirkus

"Pleasant pencil-and-watercolor illustrations contribute a comforting aesthetic to this well-intentioned tale..." —School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

When the time is right, you’ll face your fear,” Zach’s grandmother tells him as they ride the Ferris wheel after he refuses to ride the Whipper roller coaster with Grandpa. Rodman’s (Camp K-9) moving story of grief and intergenerational ties then skips ahead a year; “everything’s different. Grandma’s gone. Forever.” Hoping to cheer up Grandpa, Zach suggests they ride the Whipper. “I’m facing my fear, but I sure don’t feel brave,” thinks Zach, who is angry afterward when his grandfather doesn’t praise him—as Grandma would have—for braving the ride. In a candid conversation, the two confide for the first time that they miss Grandma, resulting in a breakthrough in their relationship. Rodman gives the story just the right measure of emotion (“Grandpa smiles. Not like he used to, but a smile all the same”), while underlining the importance of mourning and communication. Well-tuned to the narrative, Roth’s (Star of the Week) detailed and delicately drafted watercolors capture the nostalgic aura of the seaside amusement park, Zach’s ricocheting emotions, and his deep bond with both grandparents. Ages 4–up. Illustrator’s agent: Andrea Cascardi, Transatlantic Literary Agency. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Roller Coaster Kid by Mary Ann Rodman:

"Rodman gives the story just the right measure of emotion, while underlining the importance of mourning and communication." —Publishers Weekly

"Presented with warmth, sensitivity and a light touch, this story demonstrates the human need for sharing and support ... and emphasizes the need for communication and comfort." —Kirkus 

"Pleasant pencil-and-watercolor illustrations contribute a comforting aesthetic to this well-intentioned tale..." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2—Pleasant pencil-and-watercolor illustrations contribute a comforting aesthetic to this well-intentioned tale of a boy who yearns to cheer up his roller-coaster-loving grandfather after the death of his beloved grandmother. Facing his fear of roller coasters in the hopes that a spin on the Whipper will tug Grandpa out of his blue mood, the boy discovers that admitting to his feeling of loss and discussing his grandmother helps them both more than any ride-induced adrenaline rush. A few of the images capture the thrill and sense of movement that should fill a book set in a seaside amusement park, but most of the agreeable and charmingly detailed illustrations feel sweetly static. Rodman manages a light touch while conveying a valuable message about expressing emotion and coping with grief. Neither the text nor the illustrations bring the story hurtling off the page, but the words and the visuals exude a gentle nostalgia that accomplishes an approachable look at death and sadness.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal

Life can be like a roller coaster. Grandpa loves roller coasters and was known as "The Rollercoaster Kid" as a boy, while Zach prefers to ride the Ferris wheel with Grandma, in part because coasters scare him. Zach knows he'll get over it though; as Grandma says, "When the time is right, you'll face your fear." Relaxed, pencil-and-watercolor illustrations depict the beach town where the extended family summers and show Zach and his grandparents enjoying the amusement park and seaside. Unfortunately, by the next year, Grandma has died, and though the whole family misses her terribly, nobody mentions her for fear of making Grandpa even sadder. In an effort to help Grandpa feel better, Zach decides to face his fears and take Grandpa for a ride on the roller coaster, but when Grandpa doesn't praise him as Grandma would have, it makes Zach blurt out how much he misses her. Is this a mistake? Presented with warmth, sensitivity and a light touch, this story demonstrates the human need for sharing and support after a death, whatever one's age, and emphasizes the need for communication and comfort. This gentle book provides a good starting point for conversations about death and how people react to it. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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