- Picture Books
- Ages 3–7
- Fantasy
Grandad's Island
Syd and his Grandad have always had adventures, but one day, Grandad takes him somewhere extraordinary: a tropical island where Grandad decides to stay. A profound, gentle picture book about loss and letting go that never says a single difficult word directly.
- Best for3–7
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Warm
- Gentle
- Heartwarming
- Bittersweet
- Melancholic
- Thought provoking
- Inspirational
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Syd and his Grandad share the particular bond of grandparents and grandchildren: unhurried time, shared imagination, the sense of being completely seen. Then one day Grandad takes Syd through the attic, which opens, as it turns out, onto the sea, and they sail to a tropical island full of birds and warmth and wonder. And Grandad decides to stay. Benji Davies constructs an allegory for death and dying with extraordinary delicacy: the island is not frightening, Grandad's choice is presented as peaceful and right, and Syd's farewell is full of the particular mix of sadness and acceptance that only the most honest children's books reach. The book does not explain itself. Adults reading it aloud will understand; children will understand in their own way; and the conversation it opens is one of the most important that picture books can facilitate. Davies' illustrations, the lush tropical island, the small figure of Syd waving goodbye from the shore, are among the most emotionally precise images in contemporary picture books.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–7
- Read aloud · 3–8
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Tougher fit
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: death of character, grief.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Stunning illustrations
- Bereavement book
- Discussion starter
- Gift book
- Award winner
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Bereavement
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A tender, beautiful picture book about a grandad's passing — a gentle, important read for talking about grief and loss; use thoughtfully.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is Syd waving from the shore — Grandad sailing to an island and choosing to stay, the goodbye held without anyone using the word death. The picture book that gives a small child the safest possible passage into the hardest conversation.
- Adventure and freedom
- Friendship and belonging
- Having a wise mentor
- Making a difference
- Secret world
Why parents love it
The most-recommended picture book in Britain for talking with a small child about a grandparent dying — beautifully restrained, the island as gentle allegory, Syd's farewell honest without being devastating. The kind of book that opens conversation rather than provoking tears.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Bedtime appropriate
- Great writing
About the author & illustrator
Benji Davies.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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