Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate

A co-worker showed me this book one day and after reading it I literally wanted to hug the book. It was so sweet. The illustrations are a perfect match to the loving story. The story is about a young boy and his grandfather and all the things they enjoy doing together. I'm neither a grandfather nor a grandson and I still loved this book dearly. I recommend it to anyone at all!

This gentle tale throws the reader a bit of a curve and leaves you with an "oh, yeah" affirmation. This story recounts the everyday adventures of a grandfather and his grandson, clearly two peas in a pod, who share a fondness for hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows, watching construction equipment, telling jokes, and just being in the "now."Both the typography and illustrations evoke warmth and love, making this a great choice for reading to four- to seven-year-olds.

The whole book is heartwarming and lovely, but the end is the real clincher. I read it over and over again the first time I checked it out from the library, and decided it had to be part of my kid's permanent collection. The book starts off with "My favorite person is coming to visit me today..." and goes on to take you through a story of two people sharing time together and enjoying the simple things in life, like hot chocolate "with as many marshmallows as you want". It teaches that part of love is sharing small things in common together, and you're never too old to enjoy the company of a little person if you don't lose touch with the kid inside yourself.

I read this heartwarming book and instantly thought of my dad's relationship with his out-of-town grandchildren. Drinking cocoa, working on projects together, telling bad knock-knock jokes and reading stories are EXACTLY what my niece and nephew like to do with their grandpa when they visit. Now grandpa will have a new story to share!

What a wonderfully beautiful little book! Hiroe Nakata's brilliant watercolours are a perfect match for the elegant story. I recommend this treasure to anyone. ENJOY!