Larf
Ages 3 to 7The blogger’s son liked the story because Larf finds a friend.
Recommended by Pragmatic Mom
Ages 4 to 8Drawn Together
Ages 4 to 8About this age guidance
Kirkus: 4–8; Publishers Weekly: 4–8
The age tag follows Kirkus review. Other sources may suggest different ages. This is audience guidance, not an independent reading level.
Listed on a librarian’s picture book list for open-mindedness. The librarian says a boy and his grandfather, who share no common language, move from frustrating silence to shared storytelling through art.
A boy visits his Thai-speaking grandfather and the two cannot talk to each other. The boy draws a wizard, Grandpa answers with a wizard of his own, and their drawings turn into a shared fantasy battle and then a new world they build together.
Good forMany kinds of people
Recommended by Children’s Library Lady
Choose your preferred shop and check the edition there.
What children see in the story
The boy’s first answer to the silence is to sulk and sketch alone. When Grandpa answers with a wizard of his own, the boy sees him in a new way, and both open up to the other’s way of drawing. Grandpa’s careful Thai style and the boy’s energetic cartoon style are different gifts, and the story ends with the two combined into one world.
Why it’s on these shelves
- Open-mindedness
- The boy sulks when he and Grandpa cannot talk, then draws a wizard. When Grandpa answers with a wizard of his own, the boy is amazed, and the two start drawing together and get past the silence between them.
- Different strengths
- Grandpa draws in careful black and white with Thai designs, and the boy draws in bright, fast cartoons. Their two styles take turns, then join up to build one world together.
Why pick it up?
The two end up connected through drawing, no common language needed.
A note for parents
Kirkus names the book a Best Book of 2018 and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature winner. Kirkus and Publishers Weekly describe a story told largely through panels and drawings, with the two speaking in different languages. Parent list entry is a short blurb; the story moments come from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, which agree closely.
Where this recommendation comes from
Children’s Library Lady
Listed on a librarian’s picture book list for open-mindedness. The librarian says a boy and his grandfather, who share no common language, move from frustrating silence to shared storytelling through art.
Read Children’s Library Lady’s recommendationSources and review status
We have checked source descriptions and drafted the value mapping. We have not personally reviewed the full book. The value labels, situation assignments, and parent notes remain provisional.
Publisher or literacy resource · Original recommendation
Our explanation of the value fit is separate from the original reviewer’s judgment. Their inclusion here does not imply an endorsement of Stories for Growing.
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