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I'll Be the Water
Cover of I'll Be the Water
I'll Be the Water
A Story of a Grandparent's Love

Joshua and his grandfather love being together. More than anything else they love fishing. But Grandpa gets sick and is in the hospital a long time. When he gets out, he and Joshua share one more fishing adventure, and Grandpa promises Joshua that he will always be near.

"Think of it this way," Grandpa says. "Today, you and I are like two fish swimming together in this lake. When I die, things will be different. I won't be a fish anymore, but I'll become something even better. My love will be like the water in the lake. You might think I'm not with you, but we'll be closer than ever because you'll be surrounded by my love." Long after Grandpa dies, Joshua comes to understand that Grandpa kept his promise—and that love and its memory survive death. When grown-up Joshua goes fishing with his daughter, he teaches her what Grandpa taught him: "She knows we never have to feel alone or afraid because we are surrounded by a love that lasts forever."

"Each memory is like a special gift I can unwrap again and again," said Grandpa. "And that's a gift I want to give you, too."

Joshua and his grandfather love being together. More than anything else they love fishing. But Grandpa gets sick and is in the hospital a long time. When he gets out, he and Joshua share one more fishing adventure, and Grandpa promises Joshua that he will always be near.

"Think of it this way," Grandpa says. "Today, you and I are like two fish swimming together in this lake. When I die, things will be different. I won't be a fish anymore, but I'll become something even better. My love will be like the water in the lake. You might think I'm not with you, but we'll be closer than ever because you'll be surrounded by my love." Long after Grandpa dies, Joshua comes to understand that Grandpa kept his promise—and that love and its memory survive death. When grown-up Joshua goes fishing with his daughter, he teaches her what Grandpa taught him: "She knows we never have to feel alone or afraid because we are surrounded by a love that lasts forever."

"Each memory is like a special gift I can unwrap again and again," said Grandpa. "And that's a gift I want to give you, too."

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About the Author-
  • Alec Aspinwall began his career in education as a school counselor. He and his wife have served in schools in Asia and Europe for twenty-five years, returning whenever they can to their Idaho home. This is his debut book.
Reviews-
  • Kirkus

    June 1, 2020
    A boy loses his grandfather but comes to realize his grandfather's love never ends. Joshua's grandfather fills his life with wonder. Whether they're digging in the dirt or eating ice cream, it's always an adventure. But when Grandpa is admitted to the hospital, Joshua begins to understand the frailty of life. Happily, Grandpa is released, and once again the two are able to fish together. Only this time, Joshua finds he must ask the question percolating in his mind: whether Grandpa fears dying. In Grandpa's response, Aspinwall offers a series of beautiful similes, allowing even young readers to understand how love can continue even after a person has passed. While feelings of pain, betrayal, and anger are acknowledged, it is a warm, embracing, and unbroken love that remains. As Grandpa likens Joshua and himself to two fishes in the lake, he explains that when he passes he will then become the water that surrounds the fish with love, always present if Joshua just looks with his heart. Delicate pen lines, light shades, and subtle watercolor washes lend to the text's gentle approach to a difficult topic. A comforting and meaningful addition to stories about loss and grieving. (Picture book. 6-8)

    COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • Kirkus Reviews Aspinwall offers a series of beautiful similes, allowing even young readers to understand how love can continue even after a person has passed. While feelings of pain, betrayal, and anger are acknowledged, it is a warm, embracing, and unbroken love that remains. A comforting and meaningful addition to stories about loss and grieving.
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    Tilbury House Publishers
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I'll Be the Water
I'll Be the Water
A Story of a Grandparent's Love
Alec Aspinwall
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