He's aware that using Black vernacular in his book might seem strange given what he does for a living. "I wanted to preserve his way of speaking," Bernstrom said. The reason for this choice is that Bernstrom's papa spoke that way. "Big Papa and the Time Machine" is also unique because the characters speak to each other in African-American vernacular English, a rare feature in a children's book. These tales became the foundation for "Big Papa and the Time Machine." The events in the book papa's life are the same stories Bernstrom heard from his real-life papa, but they are shared through a fictional lens.īernstrom describes his book as "very much an American story" in which the grandfather has worked hard to make a better life for his descendants, and the future generations build on that heritage. Later, Bernstrom called him and asked to hear some of the stories again, this time writing them down. Bernstrom recalled spending many hours driving around Chicago with his newfound family member, listening to his papa tell stories about his life. Bernstrom wasn't able to meet his biological grandfather until he was an adult, and once the two connected, they were fast friends.
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