Grandpa’s Face was published by Philomel in 1988, with illustrations by Floyd Cooper. Tamika loves her grandfather deeply — they walk together, talk together, share a closeness that is the center of her emotional world. But her grandfather is an actor, and one day Tamika sees him rehearsing: his face transforms into something angry, harsh, frightening. The fear that grips her — that this terrible face might one day be turned toward her — is irrational but emotionally real, and Greenfield treats it with complete seriousness.
The book’s genius is in understanding the particular vulnerability of children who love deeply: the terror that love might be withdrawn, that the beloved person might contain something alien and hostile, that the face of kindness might be a mask. Tamika cannot articulate this fear — she only knows that something is wrong — and the adults around her must figure out what has frightened her before they can reassure her.
Floyd Cooper’s illustrations are rendered in warm, golden tones that emphasize the closeness between Tamika and her grandfather. The resolution — grandfather explaining that acting faces are put on and taken off, that his love-face is his real face and always will be — is satisfying precisely because the book has taken the fear seriously. Children who read it know that their own irrational fears have been understood.
Collecting Grandpa’s Face
First edition (Philomel, New York, 1988): Hardcover with dust jacket, illustrations by Floyd Cooper.
Market values:
- First edition in dust jacket: $20–$50
- Later printings: $5–$10