Grandpa, Magic, and Tons of Adventures With a Compass in Paul McCartney's Debut Picture Book

Paul McCartney, yes, that Paul McCartney from the Beatles!, debuts his magical picture book this month with Hey Grandude!. Paul was inspired to write because of his own adventures with his grandchildren.

The visit with Grandpa begins as one of those boring days. Grandpa comes across some postcards and all the grandkids want to visit the places that are featured in the old cards. Grandpa produces a magical compass and the spinning needle starts the adventures. All of a sudden everyone is on a beautiful beach from one of the postcards. An invasion of small crabs let them know that they should go somewhere else. Spinning the compass again takes then to the desert. Stampeding buffalo are scary and Grandpa spins the compass again. They find themselves in a beautiful valley with cows and flowers with a snow-capped mountain in the distance. They soon have to jump on a flying cow to escape an avalanche. Everyone is tired and Grandpa spins the compass one more time. They arrive back home and it's time for bed. Grandpa had a magical and fun day with all of the grandkids.

Kathryn Durst contributes her talent as an illustrator with beautifully colored illustrations to help thell the story of all of the adventures.

Hey Grandude! was published by Random House Children's Books and is recommended for ages 4-8. It has an ISBN of 978-0-525-64867-3.

McCartney's Hey Grandude! offers a wealth of ideas for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teachers to incorporate into their curriculum. Picture books are great tools to use in multiple ways to teach concepts. Geography, science, and creative writing activities can enhance this delightful story and the reading experience.

*Read Hey Grandude! in your group story time session. Call attention to the collection of postcards that Grandpa produces to entertain the grandkids.

*Have a collection of postcards that feature a variety of travel experiences for children to examine.

*Introduce the concept of a compass. Have a compass available ffor children to examine. Name the directions North, South, East, and West.

*Have a globe and large map available to enhance the geography concepts.

*Locate the areas on a globe or map where beaches might be found.

*Locate the areas on a globe or map where deserts might be located.

*Provide art materials for children to draw pictures of a place that they would like to visit. Provide blank postcards for children to create a postcard of a place that they have visited or would would like to visit.

*Take a class poll of students who have a beloved grandpa. What kind of activities do they participate in with their own grandpa? Engage students in a discussion of what they would like to do with their grandpa.

*Provide drawing paper and art materials for children to draw their own story of an adventure that they might have with their own grandpa.

*Invite a few grandpas to speak to the class about their grandchildren. Prepare a class party for children and their grandpas who may live near to participate in at school. Prepare Grandpas' Day activities for a special day at school.

A fun activity can be prepared to introduce children to the music of McCartney. Children will enjoy learning that the author of this delightful picture book is also a world-renowned musician. Parents will enjoy introducing their children to his music and grandparents can also participate in music activties.

Collect CD's to listen to McCartney's music after reading Hey Grandude!. Introduce the earliest songs and continue to listen to the newest offereings from McCartney after reading.