Bill Richardson, winner of the Stephen Leacock medal for humour and former CBC Radio personality, delivers a “fresh and frisky” poetic take on transitioning into life as a retiree and living through the golden years.

In their frank and witty delivery, Richardson’s illustrated retirement rhymes for the hoary-headed do not just playfully reveal the inevitable weakening that afflicts the mind and body as the years wear on, they also cast light on the ageless, exuberant spirit that too often remains hidden inside. From retirement homes, cruises, and grandchildren to liver spots, memory problems, and geriatric sex, Richardson’s candid reflections on the trials, tribulations, and humiliations of growing old are funny, sharp, and irreverent.

Illustrated by award-winning artist Roxanna Bikadoroff, The First Little Bastard to Call Me Gramps is an essential companion to the graces, and disgraces, of ageing.