Ava and The Acorn: The Magic of Grandparents – Lu Fraser

Guest Post: Lu Fraser

Author of Ava and the Acorn

‘A Lifetime of Love’ and the Magic of Grandparents

Reach beyond years

To me, he was always ‘Granfer’.

Why I called him that (the medieval moniker for ‘Granddad’) I honestly can’t remember, but ‘Granfer’ he was and ‘Granfer’ he remained. Looking back, I suppose he was a strange choice of companion for a garrulous little girl like me – he rarely spoke, he never read (unless it was to look at the pictures in his seed catalogue) and he certainly didn’t play games.…and yet, we built a world together.

The relationship between a Grandparent and a Grandchild is like no other and it doesn’t have to make sense to anybody except those contained within its formidable walls. Long after my Granfer slipped away, I am left with memories that I now treasure and pearls of wisdom that I fall back on, time and time again. That’s the other thing about Grandparents – their reach is felt far beyond the years they physically spend with us.

Blurred lines between age and youth

Standing staunchly outside the usual parental confines, there’s often a freedom (and an honesty) in the relationship between a grandchild and a grandparent that is fascinating. Where else do the lines between age and youth blur quite so beautifully?

Time is irrelevant here, in more ways than one. In a nutshell, if you’re fortunate, the relationship can be magical…

Grandparents in children’s literature

It’s no wonder, then, that Grandmas and Grandads (conventional or otherwise!) are liberally scattered throughout children’s literature and, especially, through picture books. At some point, one was always going to find its way into one of my own tales!

In Ava and The Acorn it’s in the form of a Grandad, beautifully brought to life by brilliant illustrator Paddy Donnelly, and, whilst Ava’s Grandad is far-removed from my own, he is an amalgamation of all the wonderful Grandads I’ve met over the years.

A steadfast light

To Ava, Grandad is a steadfast light in her life (for there is something of the ‘anchor’ about a grandparent to a child) but Grandad understands only too well both the enormity and the fragility of that belief – ‘Time tick-tocks by…’ he smiles fondly  ‘…there is no stopping the clock…’. And so, hand in woolly-warm hand, Grandad helps Ava travel from their crisp, cool Spring through the seasons of life, arming her with advice and wisdom, until they arrive at their Winter.

But has Ava learned the most important lesson of all?…

The true magic of grandparents

As I look at my own Granfer’s pocket watch, so kindly hidden in the illustrations by Paddy, I wonder what Granfer would have made of this book? I think he would have liked it but, more importantly, I think he would have been relieved; I might not have remembered all the things he taught me about pruning roses, or planting onions, and I might not wear my ‘Sunday Best’ each week, but I have, at least, remembered the most important thing of all. Everything must come to an end…except love.

And that is the true magic of Grandparents…