After the death of his wife, an old man gradually realizes that making the soup she used to cook and sharing it with friends eases his loneliness. A warm story about loss and friendship. Color illustrations throughout.

In this latest addition to the Chicken Soup family, children and grandchildren will relive memories of their parents and grandparents as they read stories of love, humor and wisdom.

There’s a special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren, and an unconditional love that is truly special. Whether an experienced grandparent, or a grandparent-to-be, you’ll enjoy these 101 heartwarming, amusing and inspirational stories. The moment a grandchild is born, a grandparent is born too. This collection is full of stories by grandparents about being a grandparent, and grandchildren about their grandparents. Personal stories about legacies and traditions, a grandparent’s wisdom and lessons from grandchildren as well as the joys and challenges of grandparenting will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone.

Being a Grandpa does not come with a book of instructions. Every Grandpa is as unique as a fingerprint, and each relationship with his grandkids usually molds itself into a customized experience of mutual advice, wisdom, and suggestions. Sometimes you just get crazy with each other. The Grandpa’s Manual is not a how-to book. It is a collection of stories encouraging men to become whatever kind of Grandpa they desire to be. It is written so the reader can pause, put it down, and say, “Hmm, I never thought of that!” Building a relationship with your grandkids is important business. So when grandkids look to Grandpa for advice and wisdom, they can see that Grandpas have grandkid challenges in the relationship too. Take for instance when your grandkid suffers a breakup with his first true love and concludes he cannot share his broken heart with Mom, Dad, or his little sister. Mom is a girl. Dad sometimes does not take it really seriously. And little sister may know his true love, and nothing will ever be sacred again. Who may be the one who will listen, not judge, and help soothe that broken spirit? It may be Grandpa. Grandpa has probably been in the same situation and knows how to stitch up the wound. Grandpa, have you ever raced your grandkid in a go-kart? Or have you run a zip line lately? What would you say if your grandkid asked you what it would be like to die? Do dogs go to heaven? What is prayer, and who is God? Have you ever tried to bake bread with your grandkid when neither one of you knows how to bake bread? How do you handle life when Grandma dies? Where is the boundary line with Mom and Dad when it comes to giving opinions and advice? The Grandpa’s Manual walks with you as you seek answers to these and many other questions. It is an exciting book that will move you in the direction of establishing the greatest role on earth—being a Grandpa.

To get through some problems, things that spring up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, sometimes we need to go to the wisest, kindest people we know. And who has a gentler touch than a grandparent? They offer us comfort, share their knowledge with us, and make us feel like we're the most special thing in the world. Filled with stories to open the hearts and rekindle the spirit, this pocket-sized collectioncelebrates the special relationships we have with grandparents. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

'Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad. Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul takes a peak into the lives of fathers and sons, sharing the important male milestones from birth through childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, the senior years, and every step in between. This is a celebration of how fathers and sons carry each other along life's journey. Share the story of one man who didn't think much of becoming a father until the day he laid eyes on his son, and how in a matter of moments his perspective on life and being a dad had profoundly changed forever, and the touching story of a young boy who finds the father he always longed for in a special stepdad, as well as the story of the love and respect between a father-in-law and son-in-law that appears when least expected. Readers will be inspired by the stories of sons looking up to their fathers and learning by example, and fathers recollecting their own childhoods and relationships with their own dads. These insightful stories show men and boys working through the ups and downs of life, learning as they go and becoming better because of their relationship with each other. These powerful and poignant stories are written from every point of view—fathers, sons, grandfathers, mothers, and wives—everyone who has been deeply touched by the father and son relationship.

The tiny town of Chewandswallow was very much like any other tiny town except for its weather which came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it never rained rain and it never snowed snow and it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed things like mashed potatoes. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers. Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse. The food got larger and larger and so did the portions. Something has to be done in Chewandswallow...and in a hurry.