My Hippie Grandmother

by Reeve Lindbergh, Abby Carter (Illustrator)

An enthusiastic ode to free spirits of all generations.


Who says grandmothers have to wear tidy buns and be relegated to rocking chairs? In lilting rhyme and sunny psychedelic colors, Reeve Lindbergh and Abby Carter introduce the most vibrant, tie-dyed grandmother ever to dance her way across a picture book - together with her cat named Woodstock, her guitar-strumming boyfriend, her organic garden, and her very proud granddaughter. Flower power forever!

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Fiction

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Children's author, novelist, and poet Reeve Lindbergh is the daughter of world-renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, the talented writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited about this. I got this ILL and gave it a read today. It is a simple verse rhyming story and there isn't a whole lot here. A girl loves her grandmother, who is a free spirit. That part is great and I appreciate the Hippie culture as much as anyone, but there story was almost too simple and there wasn't something to elevate it for me.

The art has a wild free feel to it with bright and airy tones. The grandmother is way fun and I love that she is a barefoot gal. Me too, I walk my dog barefoot down the sidewalk and people don't get why I don't wear shoes. I garden barefoot too.

There is a lot about this book I love, but overall it doesn't go a whole lot. It's a sweet book about the love between grandmother and grandchild. I love that and I celebrate that. It needed some little thing to kick it up a notch or something. The kids enjoyed it and gave it 3 stars too. I did like the book.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl learns to appreciate the unique qualities of her grandmother. Hippies (for me) seem to be a group 'frozen' in time; the picture I have is always of young people dancing in a park. Years ago I met my first 'old' hippie (Tom) and he was one of the most unique personalities I have ever encountered! This book reminded me of him.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I had a blast reading this, what with being a teen in the late 60s-early 70s, but I think this is one of those books that might be better appreciated by adults than by children, especially by baby boomers. Some teens are interested in the 60s but I’m not sure how many young, picture book age children, have that fascination.

However, even young children can enjoy this book, even if they don’t get all the 60s references. The rhyme is fun, there’s a nice relationship between grandmother and grandchild, and the illustrations are just terrific: colorfully, wonderfully detailed, and very 1960s. Fun! And, it’s a good book for discouraging stereotyping older people/grandparents.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boss showed me this book, knowing I’m a fan of the Sixties. My Hippie Grandmother is a cute, rhyming picture book that will delight both old and aspiring hippies alike. I especially liked that Granny took her granddaughter to a peace demonstration at City Hall, showing that being a hippie wasn’t just about owning a lava lamp or wearing beads. And double cheers that Granny has a boyfriend, not a husband!

[Elizabeth P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique, free-spirited book celebrating the love between a grandmother and her grandchild. This is a book that baby boomers as well as generation x through z will enjoy.

[Matti Karjalainen]

"I have a hippie grandmother
I'm really glad she's mine
She hasn't cut her hair at all
Since nineteen sixty-nine..."

Lapsi kertoo hippimummostaan, jolla on psykedeeliset lakanat, kultakala nimeltä Tiny Tim ja jonka kanssa voi käydä sodanvastaisissa mielenosoituksissa kaupungintalon ulkopuolella tai kasvattaa vihanneksia. Sympaattinen tapaus tämä mummo, ja ihan kiva on kirjakin.

Ja jännittävää kyllä, kirjailija on Charles Lindberghin lapsi!

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Rating: 5
2. A book review from Children's Literature says, "No grayed-haired grandma in sensible shoes for this little girl. Her grandmother—who is the apple of the granddaughter's eye—"lives behind a hill and drives a purple bus," has a bedroom with posters that proclaim LOVE and FLOWER POWER, bakes her own bread, wears jeans, and demonstrates against war. The little girl's ode to her hippie grandmother has plenty of lyrical charm and many a baby-boomer grandmother may see bits of herself reflected in this gentle song of admiration. As the girl recites her grandmother's litany of eccentricities, it is clear that the one constant in this family is the love they share. Abby Carter's watercolor and gouache illustrations convey all the love and liveliness of this slightly left-of-center grandmother and her very self-assured and proud granddaughter."
3. This book has great watercolor illustrations and a phenomenal story about a granddaughter and her fun-loving hippie grandmother. The love they share is portrayed as something very special and makes you want a hippie grandmother all for yourself! I would recommend this book to second and third graders and to any primary teacher that would like to share a fun, upbeat book to students.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet, lyrical ode about a fun, funky grandmother. The rhyming narrative and colorful illustrations make this a fun book to read aloud. We are blessed to have my mother-in-law live with us and she was a teenager in the late 60s/early 70s, and she can completely relate to the hippie characterization, even if she's not as active as this Grandmother. We enjoyed reading this book together and talking to Gram about her hippie days.

[Jasmine Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In today's society, many children do not gave the traditional grandmother and grandfather. The ones who are much older, sit around, and bake. This book is about a little girl and her cool, fun, hippie grandmother. She isn't like any ordinary grandmother. She has a boyfriend, she is involved in different rallies/ protests and so much more. I like this book because it shows that grandmothers are not all the same.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a little girl who has a hippie grandmother told in sweet rhyme. Grandma has cut her hair since 1969. She has a cat named Woodstock. Grandma even pickets City Hall. Grandma is fun to be around and her granddaughter proclaims that she really wants to be a grandma just like she has when she grows up.

[Eva Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was ok, but my grandma Henderson and Mimi Kelly weren't hippies and they're fun. It seems like hippies just do boring things. Mimi swims and she has fun and dances and drives fast and laughs a lot. Grandma Henderson is more like a mom. Neither of them are hippies but they did OK. So I don't know. Maybe mama or Tanya will be like this when they're old. I hope not.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story with a rhyming text about a grandmother obviously from the hippy generation and how she spends her days living the hippy lifestyle. The book was a lot of fun. It emphasized the strong bond between the grandmother and her granddaughter. I liked the whole thing.

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! I think a lot of people know a hippy grandma or aunt that this book talks about. It is silly and fun to read to your little one! The illustrations are perfectly fitting for the book. Reeve and Abby did a great job pulling this book together.

[Beryl White-Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope to be a granma just like this one!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

great picture book/ poem - very fun!

[Rachel Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book! Illustrations are cool - have a lot of movement.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

O.k. now I want a Hippie Grandmother of my very own after reading this sweet story.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope that I become a grandmother a little like this someday.

[ROSY · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to my daughter it was funny and cute

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope to be a hippie grandmother someday.

[Lindsay Hollandsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I love this book! I saw it in our library and had to get it! Went to the park and sat in the shade and read it for some mommy daughter time!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story. I liked the rhyming. The idea of a hippie grandmother was kind of fun. And odd, too. But the colors were bright and fun in the pictures. And it's not the stereotype grandmother, which might intrigue children. A good possibility for my grandparent-theme Book Time.

[Jessy Woolsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corny and Cute. Exactly what you would expect from the title, but I still liked it. The grandma does things hippies do: attends protests, drives a purple bus, and grows lots of greens. The pictures are cute and have movement. All in all, a short, well illustrated book about hippies!

[N · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes me feel old. I am a hippie grandmother. Minus the grandchildren.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked this more than Flora....

[SKP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a book that more adults would get something out of reading that kids. Children nowadays probably will not get all the nuances of the Hippies of the 1960’s, but there are still adults around (probably great-grandparents by now) who lived it. The pictures were cute, and the rhyme was okay, but I think if I were actually looking for grandparent books to read to a child, this wouldn’t be one of them.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Söpöä riimittelyä hipistä isoäidistä. Ilahduttava kirja melko pienille lapsille. Suomeksi tätä on hankala lukiessa kääntää, joten tällä kertaa jäi vain itselle luettavaksi.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book about a hippie grandmother.

[Kellene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking forward to sharing this with my granddaughter

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for 6 to 8 year olds who go to stay with grandma. Wouldn't we all love to have a hippie grandmother.