Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1993)

In a story based on his own childhood, Tomie dePaola tells about little Tommy's regular Sunday visits with his grandfather, Tom. Tom shows Tommy how to move the tendons in a chicken's feet to make the claws open and close and then gives Tommy a pair. When Monday comes, Tommy tries out his chicken-claw hands at school with shrieking results. With gentle humor and his usual mastery of line and composition, dePaola conveys the strong bond of affection between Tom and little Tommy.

Kirkus Reviews

Another autobiographical story from dePaola, this time about his grandfather, who ingenuously explains that We're named after each other, Tommy. That's why I want you to call me Tom instead of Grandpa.'' In the best tradition, these two are allies: Tom sings silly songs till Tommy gets the giggles, and both retreat from Nana's scolding to tell stories by the furnace. Tommy also helps out in Tom's grocery, and on one memorable occasion he buries a chicken head to see whether it will grow achicken bush'' as Tom says it will. Later, he has a grand time scaring people (all female) with a pair of chicken feet until he's caught with them in school and brings home a note forbidding him ``to bring chicken feet to school ever again.'' A delightfully offbeat vignette of boyish mischief reinforcing the bond between generations; dePaola's handsomely designed illustrations have unusual warmth here, subtly expressing the characters' affection. (Picture book. 4-8)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This autobiographical, typically sunny work celebrates the author's childhood bond with his grandfather. """"Touches of old-world humor and wisdom add sparkle,"""" said PW. Ages 4-8. (June)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-- As he did in Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs (Puffin, 1978) and The Art Lesson (Putnam, 1989), de Paola has used his own childhood memories to create a slice-of-family-life picture book. The simple, plain text tells of the close relationship between Tommy and his namesake grandfather, Tom. They read the comics together, act out poems and make up stories, and, in the final vignette, play practical jokes with discarded chicken parts (Tom is a butcher, by trade). The pictures are in the artist's familiar style, but they have more personality than some of his recent books in which the figures seem merely decorative. Tom and Tommy seem to be truly interacting rather than just posing in the same frame. There is a lively yet homey look to the characters and their surroundings. Although this book does not have the depth of feeling found in some of the author's previous titles, readers are given a fond glimpse of a grandfather who is a bit of a character and who, most importantly, loves his grandson. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY