| Kevin M. Donovan |
| Opa and Me by Kevin M. Donovan Two best friends: a little girl and her German grandfather. Opa loves his granddaughter and enjoys sharing all things German with her, especially the German’s favorite pastime of going for a good walk. The little girl loves her Opa and really enjoys their long walks together along with Opa’s German mini-lessons: Opa tries to teach me German A new word every day Today the word is weiss The color of the Schnee She wants to let her Opa know that the time they spend together is very special to her… but she’s just not sure how to say it. |
| Kevin's interest in the German culture comes from his wife Helga, her very German parents, and living in Germany for 5 1/2 years. They made the most of their time while living in Deutschland. In Berlin they explored Kurfürstendamm Strasse and camped in the Grunewald. Their first daughter, Jennifer, was born in Berlin. In other parts of Germany, they skied on the Zugspitze, cruised the Königsee, and picked grapes at a vineyard in Diefenbach. Kevin and his wife have 4 children and 6 (soon to be 7) rambunctious and happy grandchildren that call them "Opa" and "Oma". Kevin is a retired teacher and a member of the German American Cultural Society of Rhode Island. |
| Opa and Me Go to the Zoo by Kevin M. Donovan Two best friends: a little girl and her German grandfather plan a trip to the zoo. The little girl is excited because Opa turns everything into an adventure. Next we see the monkeys. Opa calls them Affen. He calls one by my name. It looks. We both start laughin’. Her expectations of fun quickly start to disappear due to unpleasant weather and uncooperative animals. However, wise old Opa manages to turn things around and save the day, just like always. |
| Oma and Me: A Christmas Story by Kevin M. Donovan A little boy and his German grandmother are getting ready for Christmas. Oma enjoys sharing German Christmas traditions with her grandson. During the four weeks leading up to Weihnachten, she sings "Oh Tannenbaum" while baking Christmas cookies and Stollen. She shares her Christmas stories in hopes that her grandson will feel the true Christmas spirit: Then she talks about the Kristkind born on Christmas night, and the three wise men who finally made it. "Ach, es war so weit!" The little boy loves Oma’s Christmas cookies, her stories, and especially waking up on Nicholas Tag to find his boots filled with candy! He thinks this is what Christmas is all about. Oma wants him to know what Christmas is really about. |