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Doireann, Boook. It's Book Granda!
Doireann, Boook. It’s Book Granda! is a loving grandfather’s memoir that follows his two-year-old granddaughter’s explorations of the world.
With a loving tone and humorous approach, Garrett Martin Richard Hearns chronicles his granddaughter’s everyday activities as she navigates toddlerhood in Doireann, Boook. It’s Book Granda!
Hearns observes as Doireann matures, develops, and enters the “terrible twos.” He records amusing interactions and dire emotional upsets during their visits. Doireann’s desire for independence and autonomy results in a never-ending struggle with her grandparents, whether they are running errands at the supermarket and bank, visiting the library and playground, or staying home. Doireann pushes her grandparents’ boundaries constantly; they, in turn, respond with reasoning, firm redirection, and wit. But Hearns’s voice blends with that of his wife; distinguishing them from one another is often difficult. Throughout the book, Doireann reigns as the most distinctive personality.
Written in the style of a journal, but with a removed tone, this intriguing compilation seems to be a treasure best suited for its subject, who, when she grows up, will able to read and reflect on this observer’s rendition of her younger years. Its chapters include multiple dated entries each. Still, the events that they describe are often unremarkable, even common. The entries become repetitive and monotonous as the book progresses, featuring multiple library trips that are described using similar phrasing. However, the three-page glossary of terms unique to Doireann results in some general amusement. Her takes on common terms and expressions are lively, as are her grandparents’ translations of her speech patterns: “yeaaaaaaaaah” is translated as “yes, elongated”; “yum-yums” is “tasty food”; and “byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” is “goodbye, elongated.”
Shared with the intention of benefiting fellow grandparents, this text has a didactic component as well. It endorses the “scaffolding” method, an educational concept developed by psychologist Lev Vygotsky in the late 1920s, wherein adults assist young learners as they progress from being unable to execute a task to being able to do so. Thus, Hearns encourages grandparents to guide, interact with, and question their grandchildren with the intention of teaching them new skills. However, this is an underdeveloped and incongruent element of the text; its treatment of scaffolding rests in a few examples alone, so that those not previously familiar with the method will not benefit from the addition.
Doireann, Boook. It’s Book Granda! is a loving grandfather’s memoir that follows his two-year-old granddaughter’s explorations of the world.
Reviewed by
Joanne Humphrey
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
