Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Nov 02 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A French child expresses love for a Spanish grandfather in this French import.A dark-haired, pale-skinned 6-year-old adores spending time with their grandfather, whom they call Luis. The sensitively written text reveals Luis' struggles without presenting him as lesser. The young narrator loves how Luis mixes up idioms, the source of the book's title. Because Luis fled Spain as a child during "a terrible war" and had to work to support himself in France, he never went to school or learned to read and write. Although early on the narrator informs us, "I'm learning to read and write," this does not turn into a story centered on Luis' illiteracy. Instead, the grandchild lovingly details their grandfather's appreciation for birds, cats, and the natural world as well as his many skills, like gardening, cooking, playing guitar, and painting. "Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau," the text reads, which provides insight into the artistic inspiration behind Lópiz's lush, naïve style and flat aesthetic. By book's end, the narrator can read well, and Luis celebrates this accomplishment with a gift that reinforces their special bond and brings this stunning and tender tale to a satisfying conclusion. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Warmhearted and affirming-one to pick up. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Fri Jan 13 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Fontenaille and Lopiz bring readers a deeply affectionate intergenerational story of a six-year-old child and Grandpa Luis. The child admires Luis, a talented gardener who fled war in Spain as a youth and never attended school or learned to read or write. "Dad told me Luis didn't have a chance to be a kid." The grandchild's first-person narration lovingly describes Luis's tattoo-covered arms, his artwork that covers the walls ("Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau"), his cooking, his guitar-playing, and the idiosyncratic way he speaks: "He says I am 'the apple of his pie,' which means he really likes me." Lopiz's beautifully composed, exquisitely controlled illustrations burst with color, capturing impressions and moments with graceful lines and evocative, layered patterns and textures. There is a particularity to the story and characters that makes this book most memorable and spellbinding. Julie Danielson

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A French child expresses love for a Spanish grandfather in this French import.A dark-haired, pale-skinned 6-year-old adores spending time with their grandfather, whom they call Luis. The sensitively written text reveals Luis' struggles without presenting him as lesser. The young narrator loves how Luis mixes up idioms, the source of the book's title. Because Luis fled Spain as a child during "a terrible war" and had to work to support himself in France, he never went to school or learned to read and write. Although early on the narrator informs us, "I'm learning to read and write," this does not turn into a story centered on Luis' illiteracy. Instead, the grandchild lovingly details their grandfather's appreciation for birds, cats, and the natural world as well as his many skills, like gardening, cooking, playing guitar, and painting. "Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau," the text reads, which provides insight into the artistic inspiration behind Lópiz's lush, naïve style and flat aesthetic. By book's end, the narrator can read well, and Luis celebrates this accomplishment with a gift that reinforces their special bond and brings this stunning and tender tale to a satisfying conclusion. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Warmhearted and affirming-one to pick up. (Picture book. 4-8)

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

A six-year-old portrayed with paper-white skin narrates this reflection about a cherished grandparent. “Every Wednesday, and on Sundays, too,” grandfather Luis cares for the child, who loves to draw and is learning to read and write. Luis is a miraculous gardener (“His green beans climb all the way to the sky,” writes Fontenaille) with an intimate knowledge of wildlife. Artist Lópiz (The True Story of a Mouse Who Never Asked for It) places colorful silhouettes of leaves and birds within the contours of Luis’s face, behind his bushy moustache and serious eyes. Slowly, the grandchild reveals more about Luis: he escaped a war at the age of 11 by walking from Spain to France; he “never learned how to read or write, not even his name”; and he’s an incredible artist, covering his walls with images of flora and fauna. The dense foliage that twines through the art mirrors the rich thicket of the grandchild’s thoughts and the grandfather’s knowledge as the two spend time together, sharing Luis’s idiosyncratic idioms (“At the drop of a cat”) and celebrating the child’s success in a lushly produced book that asks where worth really lies. Ages 6–up. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

K-Gr 3— Fleeing from war-torn Spain at age 11, Luis had no chance to learn to read or write, but he tenderly imparts his nature literacy to his beloved six-year-old grandson. The garden is exuberant with sky-high beans, ripening cherries, and edible wildflowers. L&3;piz shows in lush, dreamy illustrations in muted colors the magic of the world Luis shares with the boy. A wonder-filled landscape of flowers, birds, aromatic meals, and cranky cats, it is also a world far beyond what can be taught in a classroom. Showing love and admiration across generations, this sweet title can be a guide for the appreciation of the natural world and the quiet love of family. VERDICT This lovely purchase is a gentle yet effective work; its story and rich, complex illustrations highlight the joy of sharing the natural world that exists between a boy and his beloved grandfather.— Eva Elisabeth VonAncken