This book is perfect for a family who lost a loved one and wants to keep their memory alive. It’s hard to explain to kids, and this book helps give examples of how their grandparent lives in them even though they have never met. I would love to see a series- a grandma book etc!

I thought this was a well thought out book that touches on loss in a way that won't be upsetting for a child. The girl getting to know her grandpa, even though she's never met him, is heartwarming. I liked how she knew what things she had in common with him and still celebrated his birthday even though he wasn't there. The discussion questions at the end of the book were great.

Having never met my grandfathers, I was drawn to the title. I have very few stories about them and only a few moments from my maternal grandfather.

My children have never met their grandfathers since both were taken at a young age. My primary interest in this book is for my 6 year old granddaughter, Eleanor, who is named after my deceased mom.

I loved this heartwarming tale of connecting with loved ones who are no longer with us through stories, pictures, trinkets, etc.

I will recommend this book to everyone - such a great premise!

This is a beautiful little book! It is wonderful as a springboard for conversation and reminiscing. Highly recommended!

Such a beautiful read for children and adults, I love how the parents share stories but don’t hide their sadness too, it’s really well done and I think helps parents see the point of view of children so much better. Beautifully illustrated and well written, this is a must for anyone who has lost family members (sadly grieving is always going to come up)

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book is very heavy on the heart, especially if you lost loved ones on the way yourself. It is touching, timeless, loving and reminding us how precious life is. how important it is to spend the time with family, while this is still possible and how even though our kids wont know the people that have passed, they do ‘remember’ them through us. What a powerful message, that Shannon is getting across so well.The illustrations are calm, simple and very child friendly. It is truly a lovely book.

A heartwarming tale for children that is as beautifully illustrated as it is written. . A great way to talk about honouring one's ancestors, and it will definitely be a conversation starter.

Sometimes growing up hearing about a person you have never met is hard. You try to do things they liked to do and wonder if they would like you are you are. But even thought that person is no longer with us, you do still know them through the stories told by others and pictures left behind.

Grandparents who have died before their grandchildren were born is a book topic that is difficult if not impossible to find for young children. Zigmund approaches this topic in a way that is inviting for children and shows many ways that families can still remember and be connected with these family members even if they had never met. I wish there had been more backmatter though.

Shannon Zigmund and Mackinzie Rekers have created a gorgeous book with 'I've Never Met My Grandpa' and I highly recommend it to anyone with children.

With its child-friendly - yet far from patronising - tone, and touching illustrations, this story shows how a child can learn about family members who have passed away. It also shows how they may feel as if they have, in fact, met them, through hearing from the people who loved them.

For me, particular highlights include the main character inheriting some of her grandfather's personality traits. For example, she likes parties just like he did and she takes her grandmother to the theatre because he loved plays. Similarly, her mother and father are also shown to be similar to the deceased grandfather; the former sings his favourite songs for the main character and the latter tells some of his jokes. This, combined with illustrations showing pictures of Grandad still hanging on the family house's walls, shows how loved ones never truly leave us. It's a beautiful message portrayed in a very touching, human way.

At the end of it, the book also incudes conversation starters. These are a lovely touch that ensure the topics mentioned aren't simply forgotten about. They provide an easy way to discuss the story as well as give an excuse to read it again and again.

Thanks to Kind World Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review!

This is the heartwarming story about a little girl who never met her Grandpa because he passed away before she was born. She knows a lot about him - his interests and his favourite things - and has many things in common with him. Her parents are still occasionally upset about his death, but Mom takes the time to explain that though the little girl won’t get the opportunity to meet and get to know him..in a lot of ways she already has <3

I love the question of "how can you love someone you've never met?", because it's through the stories and words of the people who loved or were loved by that person that their presence lives on.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a beautiful book. If you have a child grieving especially for a grandparent they have never met this is the perfect conversation starter. it is explained in a very simple child appropriate way. I loved that throughout the book it was being mentioned all the ways they keep grandpas memory alive!

“I’ve Never Met My Grandpa” covers the topic of never meeting a departed loved one in a beautiful and gentle way. The illustrations are lovely. The language used is very easy for young children to understand. The parents of the girl in the book tell her happy and fun things about grandpa, but they do not hide their sadness.

NOTE: There is a mention of Heaven, but if that is not your thing skipping over it will not take away from the story.

This book is extremely touching and I like the way that the author approaches death. It's about a young girl who keeps hearing about her grandfather, but she never met him. Or at least she doesn't have any memories of him. So she's left to wonder what he was like as a person, what he liked to do, what he liked to eat, etc. and whether they would share the same likes.

I remember when my grandmother died. I was too young to really be able to process what her death meant. My parents did not do a good job explaining it to me. I would recommend this book for any parent who has a young child. One day, you will have to prepare them to understand death and maybe this book is one method to do so.

This is the most special and beautiful book I have read in a long time. Just reading and then typing up my review has brought tears to my eyes. I had the honor of knowing my grandfather really well and when passed right before I got married, I was devastated. My children never got to meet him. They never got to see how kind he was, how silly he could be. But I know, I will always tell stories about him, and see things in the world and in my children that remind me of him.

This is a MUST READ for anyone whose children never got to meet their grandpa. It touched me in so many ways and I love that it encourages us all to remember our relatives who are no longer with us in flesh, but will be with us forever in spirit.

This one was a tough one, for obvious reasons. But it was well written and I would definitely recommend everyone buy this. Honestly. Buy it whether you need it or not. Because one day you might and it tackles one of the toughest topics with grace. When you lose someone close to you and children around you ask questions, this book sets the groundwork for explaining to them what is going on. It showed the grief while also maintaining a light enough tone as to prevent children being overly hurt or traumatized by their completely natural curiosity. Because children will be curious; that's a given. If they knew are given the gravest facts after asking innocent questions, it can be traumatizing once they realize what they did to those they cared for by simply asking questions.

The best part of this book was the ending. It includes conversation points to help ease the burden of those, who are processing their own grief, in a child's life that are responsible for navigating the new norm.

I thought this was such a great picture book. I think the illustrations were beautiful and I loved the story. This is about a little girl who never met her grandpa that he died before she had any memory of him, but always hears stories from different family members and learn about that way. I think this is a great story for those children who never met their grandparents and see how memories are very important to keep those who you love still alive some how. I never met my grandpa so I can relate to this. I always loved hearing stories about him from my family.

Written in the voice of a sweet girl missing a grandpa she never met, this story portrays family grief and celebration beautifully through everyday activities that create memories.

This books has very cute illustrations, and the story of a little girl doing all of the things her Grandpa did/liked was very sweet. There were times that the cadence of the words felt like rhyming, but then it didn't rhyme which was a little confusing, but it is still a pretty solid read aloud.
I think it's important to have resources like this that depict something that children go through but don't understand so that they can have something to relate to.