The Frank Show

Gr 1-3–The unnamed narrator explains that his class must introduce a family member for show-and-tell. It seems that everyone else has someone interesting to talk about. Tom’s uncle is a cool musician who can be heard on the radio.  Kristian’s dad is a television comedian, and Fay’s cousin works at the airport weighing baggage. Saul’s aunt swam the English Channel. But the protagonist only has Frank, who is “just a grandpa.” Frank is grumpy and always says that things were much tougher when he was young.  He also thinks that there are too many “gadgets and gizmos” nowadays. He doesn’t trust barbers, and he’s not too sure about doctors, either. The boy worries that his talk is sure to be boring by comparison, and sure enough, he runs out of interesting things to share about his relative.  But then Frank begins to tell the class about his military experience: “Bullets whistling all around like African bees,” capturing enemy soldiers with only wit and force, and playing his bugle while leading the charge. He even has shrapnel in his arm to this day. It’s the best show-and-tell of all. Rendered mostly in ink, watercolor, pencil, and some mixed-media collage, the cartoon illustrations are very funny. Frank’s oversize glasses with a missing right temple enhance the mood.  A sweet story that proves that elderly relatives can be cool after all.–Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA