When you try to read a book online and you can’t find the format for your equipment, or you just can’t find a copy, you get a little more than a little more than frustrated. Or at least I do. And that is what happened with Dedushka: Memories of My Grandpa and Ukraine by Katerina Spaeth. I could not find a reader copy anywhere. And I was not looking forward to waiting until September 2025 for it. But, finally one day in April there was an email that said, “Hi there! I have a link for you to read Dedushka! (I think I might have squeaked (loudly) a happy yes!) 
Lunch time could not come quick enough!
When I was finally on break, I read this lovely letter to a beloved grandfather from his grandchild. We follow the narrator from a baby to an older child. The pieces come together as we see how the grandfather instills the love of country, family and tradition. He gives the child the strength to be independent and strong. And when the story ends, we (in a slightly rushed manner) get the words of how much Spaeth/the narrator cared about the grandfather. A few photographs are included at the very start and very end as well as the main softer, earthy toned images that show the day-to-day and the love they share. The illustrations can be somewhat busy, but do not take over the story, but are supportive as they are as much of a character as the grandfather and grandchild. 
These images capture a classical look and have a modern sentiment. One of the things I enjoyed was even if Ukraine was not in the title of the book, the illustrations give us clues to the ethnic background. Sunflowers and other culture images are seen throughout the book’s pages.