Grandmother Picture Books

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ariel Landy. Jillian already has two grandmothers, and though she's happy with her new stepdad, the new bubbe who joins the family along with him takes some getting used to. Bubbe smothers her in lipstick kisses, uses Yiddish terms Jillian doesn't understand, and claims her matzo ball soup is "the best soup in the universe"--and therein lies the real problem. Welcoming Bubbe in feels like disloyalty to Noni (and her meatball soup) and Gram (and her gazpacho). The lively third-person narration ("She had no choice. In the name of grandmas, it was time for a protest!") sticks closely with Jillian and her strong but evolving feelings, with details in the cartoonish illustrations adding humor (keep an eye on the pets). The conclusion is, unsurprisingly, delicious, with plenty of family warmth and a hint of a new member to come. Back matter includes three soup recipes as well as resources for adults on blended and interfaith families.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza. A dinner to remember! An unnamed African American boy describes a Sunday dinner at Granny's with extended family. Granny decides that it's time for her grandson to learn to cook macaroni and cheese; mixed greens (collard, turnip, and mustard); and grilled chicken, ribs, and sausage. As he prepares to grate three kinds of cheese, wash and tear greens, and prepare meat for the grill, Granny models each task, asking: "Did you see that, baby?" Doing his best, he says: "My hand hurt. My arm aches. But I don't quit." After the completion of each task comes Granny's affirmation: "That's the best grated cheese [or greens, or meats] I've seen in all my life." While Bingham's writing captures the sound and cadence of this African American family's speech, Esperanza's oil paintings effectively portray the lively characters' perpetual motion and reveal each person's style, from Granny's maroon cornrows and colorful apron displaying an African mask, to the protagonist's blond-tipped high-top twists with lightning bolts shaved into the sides of his hair, to the barbecue master's dreadlocks and flip sunglasses. In the end, the young cook adds one more tasty delight to the meal and radiates pride as the family sits down to dinner. A gustatory and olfactory family feast that will evoke strong memories for some and make others wish they had them.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Kuo. The protagonist of this emotion-filled story is a little girl in Taiwan who loves her popo, or grandmother. She dreams with Popo, walks with her in the park, and bows to her on New Year's Day--until one day the girl and her parents move to San Diego. She can then only dream of Popo, talk with her from across the sea, and pray for her recovery from an illness. Upon returning to Taiwan for a visit, the girl is dismayed that her language skills have slipped ("Now 'ni hao' is what feels strange in my mouth"), yet the bond between granddaughter and grandmother remains as strong as ever. Kuo's digital illustrations, of a rosy-cheeked girl and active grandma, complement Blackburne's text by showing details that accurately and authentically depict Taiwan and its culture. Iconic buildings (Taipei 101, the Grand Hotel), Chinese New Year traditions, street signs, and cityscapes are only some of the abundant details that invite readers to look closely at the images. In a few spreads, the gutter is cleverly used to delineate the characters' two very different worlds. Blackburne's nuanced narrative and Kuo's eye-catchingly hued illustrations bring readers on a heartwarming journey, providing an opportunity to explore and discuss the themes of identity, roots, connection, and emigration. Appended author and illustrator's notes and a glossary provide more detail.

Reviewer: Weileen Wang | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Evan Turk. On her eighth birthday, Maude buries a red tin box under a dogwood tree (only she knows what's inside), making a promise to herself. Decades pass. Maude, now an older woman, remembers the box but not its contents. One afternoon she is "seized with a feeling" and invites her granddaughter on a long drive to her old home. The granddaughter is filled with questions ("what's inside the box?"), and they both wonder if they'll be able to find it. They do indeed, and Maude is overcome with emotions as she explores the box's contents and then shares stories from her childhood on the drive back home. Burgess's (Drawing on Walls, rev. 1/21) detailed text is filled with evocative sensory descriptions: "At the foot of the flowering dogwood, in a soft spot where she once discovered a fallen nest, the earth seemed to whisper, 'Here.'" A vivid coppery-red and brilliant golds dominate Turk's (Hello, Moon, rev. 9/22) palette, and he fills the book with intriguing perspectives and distinctive textures. Burgess's warm intergenerational tale leaves Maude's specific memories, the meaning of each item in the red tin box, and Maude's promise to herself a mystery to readers, thereby inviting them to imagine the contours of her childhood and perhaps even consider what they'd put in their own red tin boxes.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Josh Cochran. "Some letters can't be delivered in the usual way. But I have a plan." Sylvester­ misses his grandmother, G.G., and attempts to send her a letter, in this tender and imaginative book about longing. Where is G.G.? The answer is ambiguous. Sylvester speaks of sending skydivers into the jungle "where the rare pink dolphins wait," so perhaps G.G. is a scientist in a remote location. Or maybe this is a child trying to understand an absence that is beyond his reckoning. Cochran lets Sylvester illustrate his own story--a couple of double-page spreads show him drawing the very pictures we’re looking at--and the whimsical images created with bold colors and thick brushstrokes have a kidlike energy and charm. Wordless spreads, including a gatefold that opens up to show everything in this child's mind and heart, give readers the opportunity to digest the magnitude of his emotions. He ultimately sprawls on the lawn under the moon feeling his feelings, when a butterfly lands on his nose. G.G.? Coincidence? The specificity of Sylvester's experience gives this book a wistful note, and the ambiguity allows for the opportunity to consider many types of absence.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gastón Hauviller. A young Latina girl and her grandmother connect over the homely pleasures of baking bread, sewing, and making trips to the outdoor market, although the old woman is showing signs of ailing. She gently prepares her granddaughter for her impending death by reassuring her of the indissolubility of their relationship -- the places they visit, activities they enjoy together, and the natural world that connects them to something beyond themselves will all remind the girl of her grandmother’s tender, fortifying love long after the day she breathes her last. The book addresses the subjects of aging and illness in an age-appropriate manner. Both Hauviller’s textured illustrations and Camacho-Church’s bilingual English/Spanish text are imbued with the warmth of treasured memories of their own grandmothers.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) K-3 Young squirrel Evergreen is afraid of just about everything. When Mama asks her to deliver soup to Granny Oak, Evergreen sets off through the woods with trepidation. Her journey is full of unexpected incidents: she extricates a rabbit trapped between boulders, removes briars from a red-tailed hawk's feathers, and rescues a stranded young toad. Cordell's (­Cornbread & Poppy, rev. 3/22) picture book, with its longer-than-usual text, is broken into six engaging parts, and his fine-lined pen-and-ink drawings are colored with a soft watercolor palette of browns and greens. The varied page layouts convey both the coziness of Evergreen's world and the tension of life as part of the woodland food chain. ­Evergreen arrives safely with the soup, and a rewarding character reveal allows her to complete her task and fulfill her promise. By the time she's back home, after so many pages of adventure, ­Evergreen realizes that she is brave and she can solve problems.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Woodrow White. Eggers, with input from students in a San Francisco Young Editors Project, captures an unusual visit from a child's grandmother in this imaginative adventure. The story is told from the point of view of the child, who has met his grandmother only once before. Dressed in a jacket that looks a lot like a jaguar's fur, the glam grandma gets on all fours and commands: "Let's be jaguars." The two venture outside and then, as we see in a double gatefold spread, into the woods. They explore outdoors with abandon, running across a lake, crossing a mountain, traversing the Himalayas, and more. Grandmother, as both human and jaguar, is a powerful and somewhat intimidating presence: at one point, as a jaguar, she eats a raw rabbit. Eggers spins phrases with an evocative beauty. They traverse the water "nimbly...like marbles on glass." Grandmother "laughed like great thunder and I laughed like lesser thunder." In his picture-book debut, painter White animates the pair's adventure in expansive, richly colored scenes that depict the murky, purple-hued shadows of the night, effectively establishing the book's mysterious, majestic tone. It all ends on a cryptic note: could his grandmother really be a jaguar? Either way, the peculiar journey is worth taking.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) K-3 "As it turned out, Grandmother was a far more mysterious woman than any of us knew," begins this enigmatic and enjoyable picture book by Erdrich (The Birchbark House, rev. 5/99, and sequels), first published in 1996. With a page-turn, the grandmother is now shown in a motion-filled, sea-set spread, sailing away on the back of a porpoise. A year passes without Grandmother, and while the family members are going through her things, they find her birds' nest collection. In one lies three eggs; the birds hatch and are identified as passenger pigeons--an extinct species. This leads to many question--where did the creatures come from? where should they go?--but Grandmother's grandchildren know what to do. Realistic-looking illustrations ground the story in naturalism, while inventive--and unexplained--details allow the inquisitive young people, with their ever-changing facial expressions, to honor their grandmother's wishes.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Nina's two grandmothers live far away from her and far apart from each other. Though the text does not state exactly where, the dedication ("For my British-American-Malaysian family") and cultural and geographic markers indicate the U.K. for Nana and Southeast Asia for Nenek. Both settings are "somewhere very different" for Nina (whose own view looks like San Francisco). But whether working in the garden, playing board games, or visiting the seaside, Nina is made to feel right at home. Nina's visits with her ­grandmothers are shown side-by-side on well-designed pages, with an engaging, accessible text and featuring cozy yet vibrant illustrations that were "painted on tea-stained paper, using watercolors, many tiny brushes, and a crow quill dip pen" and digitally edited. Differing background colors, patterns, and cultural motifs signify the two different settings, with the unifying features being open arms and warm hearts. Though the premise is somewhat sentimental, the story avoids mawkishness with the art's eye-catching details and the characters' endearing uniqueness (see Mom's blue-streaked hair). In whichever setting she finds herself, Nina feels secure in her family's love as well as in her own multifaceted identity.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by John Parra. Genhart highlights the love between a grandson and his abuela through their connection with the Spanish language. Narrator Manolo signs up to compete in his school's Spanish spelling bee. While he practices, Abuela tells him stories of how she was not allowed to speak Spanish in school, recounting the punishment and shame doled out to her and her classmates. After hearing about her experiences, Manolo is more determined than ever to study, and ultimately triumphs at the spelling bee. With a vivid color palette, Parra's acrylic and digital illustrations bring warmth and brightness to Genhart's story, which smoothly incorporates Spanish words and phrases within the text. Extensive back matter explains how Spanish was frequently prohibited in schools in the Southwest, especially from the 1930s through 1960s, causing many families not to pass on their language to their children. The National Spanish Spelling Bee, first held in 2011, is an effort "to change the history of negative attitudes toward Spanish and to raise its status in the United States." A Spanish alphabet, pronunciation guide, and selected references are appended. Concurrently published in Spanish as El español es la lengua de mi familia.

Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(1) K-3 In Goade's (Caldecott Medalist for We Are Water Protectors, rev. 7/20) latest picture book, set "on an island at the edge of a wide, wild, sea," a Tlingit grandmother teaches her granddaughter "how to live on the land." First, they gather what they need from the water. Then they enter the forest to pick berries; the berries' names serve as an evolving refrain, and the land is also frequently and reverently referenced. As they pick, they sing to the flora, the fauna, and the ancestors: "We take care of the land... As the land takes care of us." Once they have collected what they need, they head home. After their subsequent feast, they say "Gunalchéesh," giving thanks for the food. The story ends with the girl passing on the song and her grandmother's knowledge to her younger sister. Goade's lush, brightly colored art vividly portrays the landscape. In many of the images, the child and her grandmother are shown intertwined with the forest, with which they are deeply connected. In one scene, the grandmother and granddaughter are the same green as the forest, and their hair and faces are covered by leaves. In another image, we see a totem pole faintly outlined within a tree. An author's note tells more about Goade's childhood; her life in Sheet'ká, or Sitka, Alaska; and the song in the book. Endpapers name the berries in both English and Tlingit.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) PS A child and her abuela are walking in the snow when they discover an injured bird. They bring the bird home, and Abuela nurses it back to health. The bird has a cage, but Abuela lets it fly through the apartment as it recovers, to the child's (and the reader's) delight. When the creature is healed, Abuela sends it off to fly free, and it disappears into the clouds above the city. In the spring, the bird returns; the child wants to keep it, but Abuela says it should remain free but is welcome to visit whenever it wants. Spare, simple, first-person text, narrated from the child's point of view, leaves room for the sweet, collage-like illustrations to pull readers' attention into the story and hold them in this magical space. The illustrations exude the warmth and coziness of a dear relationship between a young child and loving caregiver, and this cherished relationship is enhanced by the new friend they make together. A combination of neutral and bright colors in the art creates eye-catching layers, while the straight lines of rooms and buildings balance the rounded shapes of the characters. The small yellow bird brightens up their apartment in the city, and Abuela's gentle lessons through her actions and words are easily inferred. Published concurrently in Spanish as Un pájaro en casa.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) K-3 Goodale (Windows, rev. 11/17; Under the Lilacs, rev. 7/20) presents a gentle rumination on space and time, memory, and the enduring love of family. "Today, I am at my gramma's house, high on the hill, amongst the blueberry bushes," begins the adolescent narrator, her gaze open-heartedly trained on readers from a sun-dappled spread. "And also..." Now, with a page-turn, and in a muted purply palette, she's shown as a younger child: "...I am remembering camping with Mama," with a small adventure in the woods. The story continues, shifting to the grandmother: "Today, my gramma is at the kitchen, watching me from the window. And also... / ...she is remembering being a little girl in her mother's garden." The girl's mother's recollections (and those of the grandmother's cat) follow, before returning to the narrator. Now, as an adult, she's writing this very book while recalling--and re-illustrating, with subtle differences--her time at her grandmother's. The book concludes: "We are all here...and also there. / Always." It's a heady observation made somewhat more concrete and accessible by ­Goodale's finely attuned sense of childlike wonder and the illustrations' (made from monoprint, gouache, and blueberry ink) thoughtful compositions. A red bird on every spread helps situate viewers in place and time, past and present.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga. We don't know why Lily is going to live with her grandmother in rural Iowa, but we join her as she begins the long car ride there, roof and backseat piled high with suitcases and boxes. Lily has emotional scars that manifest in a forlorn expression, bellyaches, and "hollow places" inside her. Gram drives through the night and into the next day (seemingly unfazed), and charges Lily to "find ten beautiful things along the way." Initially, Lily replies, "There's nothing beautiful here," but then she and Gram begin to identify things: a sunrise, a windmill farm, a red-winged blackbird, as well as the smell of mud and a "falling-apart barn." Richly colored mixed-media illustrations offer views from multiple vantage points: we see the view from inside the car; the car from high above; Lily in Gram's rear-view mirror. This simultaneously heartbreaking and reassuring book acknowledges the realities of grief ("None of this was easy"), the slow process of healing ("Maybe it would never be easy"), and hope ("She belonged with Gram now. She belonged here now").

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maya Fidawi. Samira, a young Iranian girl, is accompanying her grandmother, Mama Shamsi, to the outdoor market for the first time. As they walk through the streets of Tehran, Samira playfully proposes various ways that she can hide under Mama Shamsi’s chador so that she won’t get lost at the big, crowded, noisy market. Each time she does so, the long, black, cape-like garment takes on the shape of a different animal, to her grandmother’s mock dismay. The joshing gives way to an empowering conclusion, as Mama Shamsi affirms Samira’s ability to confidently explore and navigate the world around her. The book reflects the authors’ own childhood experience of the often-disparaged chador as a source of safety and comfort. Digital illustrations chock-full of interesting, culturally authentic details wrap this story up nicely.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(1) PS Illustrated by Laura Dronzek. A pigtailed child visits her grandparents at the shore, where the waves call them to explore the sands just outside the steps of their small seaside house. Amid the colorful detritus left behind by the waves, the girl and her grandmother search for shells of every kind. "Grandma reminds me that the shells are little houses. And that gets me thinking," the child says, as she begins to wonder about the inhabitants of these tiny homes. Her mind wanders further out into the deep, where one could find "fish as big as cars...lost toys, lost coins, lots of lost things that were cried over." The girl's grandfather, too, looks in awe at the water and his grandchild, noting that she just may "know it all" someday. A collection of shells, though, is enough to satisfy the child until that someday arrives. Dronzek's recognizably bold-hued, naturalistic acrylic illustrations maintain the windswept qualities of a visit to the beach, infusing the quiet and meditative narrative with movement. Thoughtful page design alternates between spot art, images within a borderless ellipse-shaped frame, and full-bleed double-page spreads, uniting the child reader and the child narrator on their journeys to consider both the small and the vast. Henkes and Dronzek's latest pitch-perfect collaboration (Summer Song, rev. 3/21) offers an intimate multigenerational narrative that captures children's hopeful curiosity about our shared home.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Charlotte Voake. A grandmother and toddler grandchild spend a day on a stormy beach sharing the classic seashore pleasures of dodging waves, challenging the wind, watching birds, gathering seaweed, greeting dogs, and sorting shells. Hesse's rhythmic text in rhyming couplets avoids sounding singsongy with thoughtful punctuation and page design. The first line summarizes the whole story: "Granny and Bean went walking one day / in the sand, by the sea, with the sky all gray." This plainspoken text provides a foundation for Voake's atmospheric mixed-media illustrations in which the interplay of gray and white in sky, sea, shadow, and rain is celebrated. Against this dynamic, impressionistic background, Granny and Bean, in glowing primary block colors, are sturdy and joyful. Granny's bright yellow slicker tells us much of what we need to know about her. A curlew and beach grass on dunes suggest a specific location, but the relationship between a small child and an adult who has the time and patience to wander, who doesn't mind wet feet, and who provides a sustaining snack at just the right moment feels universal. A fine addition to "going for a walk with a grandparent" stories.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) PS Lili's Nai Nai is out of cabbage for the baos she is making and sends her granddaughter off to see if Babcia, up on the sixth floor of her apartment building, has any. Yes, Babcia does, but she is out of potatoes for her pierogi and sends Lili to ask Granma down on the second floor. Granma has potatoes but needs garlic for her Jamaican beef patties. So off Lili goes to Abuela on the fourth floor for garlic. The pattern continues with Nonna (making ravioli) and Teta (making Lebanese fatayer). Lili finally returns to Nai Nai, tells her of her adventures, and helps finish the baos by lining the steamer basket with the (finally) procured cabbage leaves. When all the grandmothers arrive for an outdoor party, they are each carrying their various dumpling treasures. But where have Lili's mama and papa been all this time? Surprise! They come home with her new baby brother, "another little dumpling treasure!" Iwai employs a bright palette and effectively plays with perspective (as in Lili's dizzying glance down the building's stairwell). Especially entertaining are the scenes of Lili making baos with Nai Nai and the chart of Lili's journey, like a game board showing all the moves she has made. In their generosity and joy of cooking, Nai Nai and her friends are kindred spirits to the title character in Oge Mora's Thank You, Omu! (rev. 11/18). A detailed recipe for making baos is appended.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan. A young girl describes a beloved summertime­ tradition for her Armenian­ family. Guided by Bábo, or Grandmother,­ four children jump into action to "soak, soap, and wash" their treasured family rugs. The three siblings and a neighbor know exactly what to do: they gather their brushes, smother the rugs in bubbles and water, and brush the suds out before flipping the rugs over for a second cleaning. The kids and a dog twirl, slide, and dance together over the frothy surfaces. When at last the rugs are rinsed and drying, everyone goes inside for a special summertime treat. The text invites every sense to the experience: the sounds of the brushes ("bop-bop-bop"), the smell of the hot air ("like rose jam"), and the feeling of bubbles under toes ("so pleasant and just a little cold"). The digitally rendered illustrations are lively and full of specificity; occasional aerial views show the intricate details of the traditional handwoven rugs. A glossary provides translations and pronunciations of Artsakh Armenian words peppered through the text; the author's note and back matter provide more information about this story and the traditions behind it. A lovely reminder that fun can be found in the most seemingly mundane of tasks.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tonya Engel. Zoe loves baking cinnamon-swirl bread with her grandmother. As Grandma kneads the dough with a "push and pull," she recalls how her own mother taught her to make bread. When Zoe tries kneading, however, the dough bunches up and sticks to her hands; Zoe wonders "if they will ever move" like her grandmother's. Standing behind her, Grandma places her hands on top of Zoe's and guides the kneading "until it's just right." Engel's (Your Legacy, rev. 1/22) highly textured illustrations, with deep, rich colors, capture the closeness of the intergenerational bond described by Lyons (Dream Builder, rev. 3/20). While the dough rises, grandmother and granddaughter "sit and talk. [Grandma's] hands tell a story if you listen." The following double-page spread shows Grandma's lined palms and fingers up-close, labeled with different identities, including "teacher," "planter," and, most prominently, "mother." As Grandma talks about her own life, Zoe wonders where her own hands will go and what stories they will tell. Baking and reminiscing with Grandma help Zoe see the power and potential she holds in her own hands. A fine companion to Bingham's Soul Food Sunday (rev. 11/21), this story spreads joy like a dusting of flour on a freshly baked loaf.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. A young girl visiting her grandmother in Japan narrates this not-so-traditional bath-time book about a very traditional and ancient Japanese custom. The narrator and her beloved baachan, along with a gaggle of aunties, take a walk to the neighborhood bath house, where they meet up with some smiling young cousins. After removing shoes and clothes, they sit on low stools by water faucets, scrub themselves clean with soap, and rinse off before gently easing themselves into the steaming hot bath with a communal "Ahhhhh." The narrator guides readers through the potentially unfamiliar rituals by clearly describing what will happen; the future tense ("The wooden sandals will be lined up and waiting") also reads like a comforting reminder of what will take place the next time she gets to visit her grandmother. The text mirrors the mood--quick rhymes describe the excitement of arriving and the fun of soaping up, then longer sentences slow down and quiet as the group walks home in the dark. Zhang's buoyant illustrations in ink, gouache, and watercolors match the water-focused story with transparent, watery hues anchored by strong black outlining. Young audiences will giggle at all the naked bodies in the book, while adults will appreciate the body-positive descriptions: "You'll all dip your bodies, / your newly sprouting, / gangly bodies, / your saggy, shapely, / jiggly bodies, / your cozy, creased, / ancient bodies. / Beautiful bodies." In an appended note, Canadian author Maclear (It Began with a Page, rev. 11/19) describes the childhood summers she spent in Japan, she and her grandmother sharing not a common language but "rituals, a sweet tooth, and a love of bathing."

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Shonto Begay. In this illuminating story about a contemporary child's experience with water insecurity, set in the Navajo Nation, Cody wakes up thirsty, and the three big blue water barrels outside his house are all empty. How will his family keep the animals safe on this hot day, or wash the dishes, or refill their water glasses? But his grandmother knows something Cody doesn't--the Water Lady is on her way. In a parallel narrative, Darlene Arviso is shown getting her own grandchildren ready for school, finishing her morning job as a school bus driver, getting into her yellow water truck, and driving up to Cody's house, where she is greeted warmly--and where, as one of the ten stops she will make that day, she refills the blue water barrels. The watercolor illustrations by Dineh' (Navajo) artist Begay use texture and color to highlight the dry desert landscape, and endpapers show the yellows of the dust and the blues of landscape and water mixing together. A brief glossary is included, and an author's note gives additional information about both Arviso and the Navajo Nation, emphasizing Arviso as an important community figure. A final note by Arviso herself expresses hope that her services will no longer be needed someday and that younger generations will listen to stories of Navajo history and tradition.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Suzy Lee. "Someday soon, I'll see you. Even though you are there. And I am here. So very far apart. I want to see you now, of course. Right this minute. In a childlike first-person text, a young person describes to a loved one the feeling of missing her and yearning for a reunion, touching on imaginative ways of doing so (rocket ships, jetpacks) along with real-life solutions (sending letters back and forth, video chatting). Lee's warmhearted illustrations--coupled with the book's ingenious design--provide terrific enhancement to the story line. Frequent die-cuts ("used to show how the characters could be physically closer together through the pages"); variations in background colors; ­different-size pages; and changes in font, style, size, and text placement help pace the events and offer literal windows into the characters' feelings of impatience, frustration, longing, and love. One particularly timely--and humorous--image shows the characters not-quite-centered on their respective computer screens. The end of the book brings unadulterated joy in the form of a tightly held, sunshine-y embrace. While this reassuring picture book is particularly apt for the COVID-19 era, it will be welcomed by anyone suffering separation and seeking comfort.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) K-3 Nelson (Sitting Bull, rev. 11/15; Red Cloud, rev. 7/17) shares Indigenous traditions and practices involving tipis that continue in modern times. Young Clara comes to stay with her unci (­grandmother) and cousin Juniper, who live on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Over the course of an idyllic summer, the two girls learn about their history, particularly about the family tipi, a precious object that has been passed down through the generations and has profound significance for their family. The girls have lunch in the tipi; their unci braids their hair in the tipi; they even sleep in it overnight. Their unci adds the girls to the family's generational story by asking each granddaughter about her aspirations (Juniper wants to be a basketball player; Clara, a pilot) and then making their spirit paintings on the outside of the tipi. Nelson's vibrant illustrations are stylized to reflect Lakota ledger drawings. He effortlessly blends this art style into his realistic, authentic depictions of modern Lakota life. An extensive author's note provides more information about tipis from prehistory to the present and information about Nelson's own family. Also appended are a photo of a Lakota beaded dress (circa 1900) and tipis in use during the Standing Rock protest.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Flett. Becca emulates her grandmother by learning to bead, painting a sunrise, and dancing at the powwow. Her grandmother joyfully shares skills, cultural traditions, and affection; in a refreshing twist, Grandma also learns from her granddaughter as they shoot hoops while Becca practices for basketball tryouts. Grandpa appears regularly throughout, most often preparing food for them all. Debut author Rogers (Wichita and Affiliated Tribes) successfully blends both traditional and contemporary aspects of life for this family, offering a sense of what being part of an Indigenous community can mean. The text is spare and poetic, primarily describing the relationship between grandmother and grandchild but also delivering a small sports-related tale. (After a successful tryout, Becca and her grandparents go out for pizza.) Cree-Métis artist Flett (Still This Love Goes On, rev. 11/22) gives life and depth to the text with her stunning mixed-media illustrations. Spreads resemble collage with layers of color and texture. The book provides a valuable opportunity for readers of all backgrounds to reflect on what they can learn from an older generation. Handsome book design, eloquent text, and an authentic portrayal of its subject make this a welcome addition to collections.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. Dovey Johnson Roundtree (1914–2018) would grow up to be a civil rights warrior; this picture-book biography focuses on a pivotal moment in her childhood. One pre-dawn summer morning in North Carolina, her grandmother takes her blackberry picking, joined quietly by other women from their community. Intimidated by the dark, Dovey gains courage from Grandma Rachel, who tells her she need not fear it. "If you wait a little, your eyes will learn to see, and you can find your way." Awash in blues and purples and then pinks, reds, and golds as the sun rises, Figueroa's stunning illustrations, many of which depict a view from above the woodland scenes, illuminate the landscape, the diligent work of the women, and the lessons Dovey learns from her loving grandmother, which feed her tenacity and determination as an adult. Several pages of back matter, which include family photographs, detail the remarkable life of this unsung hero, who graduated from Spelman College, served in the Women's Army Corps, earned a degree from Howard ­University Law School, and fought diligently for civil rights throughout her long career and life. An author's note by McCabe explains that the book was "adapted from the final chapter of the autobiography Dovey and I wrote together." Inspiring and exquisitely illustrated, this well-researched true story will spark conversations that prompt young readers to learn more about Roundtree.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Keiko Brodeur. When eight-year-old Mai gets off the train to visit her grandmother, her obchama, she accidentally leaves behind the delicious-smelling muskmelon she was so excited to share. Sakai's story, set in 1960s Japan, will pull readers in with its colorful and detailed illustrations of lovingly described scenes. When Mai realizes she's forgotten the melon, Obchama knows just what to do. They race back to the train station and search through the various objects at the lost and found: "glasses, wallets full of money, dentures, comic books, a ukulele, hats, and umbrellas...live pet crickets and large beetles in cages and a beautiful goldfish with a lacy white tail in a bowl." The melon isn't there, but the station official says he won't leave until he finds it. Back at Obchama's, Mai begs her to retell a favorite story about six local buddha statues that come to life one snowy night to return a kindness bestowed on them. Moments later, Mai's own kindness in choosing to bring the melon to her grandmother comes back around to her when they get a phone call: someone has turned in the missing fruit! Readers will be drawn into this heartwarming tale as surely as Mai is lured that morning by the melon's sweet aroma, depicted by illustrator Brodeur as a flowery trail that curls through the air beckoning the sleepy girl from her futon to the dining table.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by André Ceolin. After moving to a "new home" in the southeastern United States, Rocio finds herself missing her "other home" in Central America, where she'd lived with her grandmother, aunt, and cousins. She visits there in her imagination, recalling everything from the "smell of spicy peppers and burnt sugar" to the "soft rustling of piñatas that hung from the ceiling" of her abuela's small grocery store. In her picture-book debut, Sanchez (We Are Not from Here, rev. 9/20) evokes, with rich sensory detail, Rocio's memories of lovingly prepared food (Abuela's warm tortillas smell "sweet and fresh, like the damp earth after a soft rain"), and Ceolin's (Hanukkah Hamster, rev. 11/18) illustrations feature abundant star motifs and geometric patterns inspired by the traditional textiles Abuela wears. But it's Abuela herself that Rocio misses most of all. Her longing for her beloved grandmother is palpable, as is her delight when a package, covered in stamps, arrives on the morning of her birthday. It's not spoiling the surprise to say that it was sent by her abuela, "con mucho amor." While the contents of the package are satisfying, Rocio's emotional connection to Abuela--one that spans the star-­sprinkled sky--remains central to this story. Happily, Rocio finds a way to send lots of love back home to Abuela, too. Concurrently published in Spanish as Con mucho amor.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Remembering what his parents have told him about Grandma, second grader Andy patiently goes along when she calls him by the wrong name, confusing him for a student she'd taught long ago. "I had you in kindergarten...I am Miss Irwin." He asks her ("Grandma...I mean, Miss Irwin?") about a small nest he finds in a box in her house. She reminds "Willie" how he used to watch birds through the classroom window, and how she set up a hummingbird feeder in the plum tree outside; in turn, on the last day of school he gave her a tiny bird's nest he had made. When she says, "Wouldn't it be lovely to make nectar again?" her grandson suggests they put up a bird feeder. Facing pages contain close-up portraits of Andy on one side, saying, "It'll be fun to feed the hummingbirds together, Gran," and a beaming Grandma on the other, replying, "Nothing would make me happier, Andy." Just as Miss Irwin years before had forged a connection with quiet, bird-loving Willie, Andy finds a way to reach his beloved grandmother. Say illustrates his gentle, loving story with softly sun-dappled, colorful oil paintings that range from hazy to clear, depending on the clarity of Grandma's mind and memory. A brief but heartfelt author's note explains the story's origins.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(1) PS Illustrated by Sydney Smith. This tender story from the author-artist team behind I Talk like a River (rev. 11/20) pays tribute to Scott's Polish grandmother, whom he visited daily as a child. An opening note explains that she "suffered greatly" during World War II and, afterward, lived in a renovated chicken-coop in a Canadian coastal town. Baba, who "didn't have very much food for a long, long time," stockpiles items from her garden and closely watches her grandson eat lest he waste a bite. On the rainy walk to school, Baba looks for worms, collecting them in a jar, so that she can add them to the soil in her own garden. Her communication is limited to gesturing and, by tracing lines on the boy's hand, she conveys the worms' tremendous worth to the soil. Later, Baba moves in with the boy and his parents. In two moving, gently paced, wordless spreads, the boy brings Baba, lying in bed, a simple breakfast, and silently they eat together--before he heads out to find worms for some of Baba's cherry tomato seeds he has planted in a pot. Smith's observational prowess is a perfect match for this story of quiet, contemplative moments of profound meaning, his nuanced and expressive watercolors capturing years of struggle and sorrow on Baba's face--but also the abundant love she feels for her grandson, who still now picks up worms in her honor.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Ross. Sallie Bee, a little girl with bee-shaped clips in her hair, is surprised to receive a present one day in the mail--a yellow scarf with black stripes accompanied by a note from her grandmother. She immediately wants to text Grandma Bee to thank her, but Mom is using the phone. Sallie Bee decides to put her thoughts on paper so she won't forget, including "I love my new scarf. It has two of my most favorite colors." By the time she's done, she has written a full thank-you note, so instead of texting, she and her mother put the note in the mail. Sallie Bee enjoys the process so much that she begins finding people to whom she can express appreciation, such as the crossing guard and a friend who lends her an umbrella, and she writes a note to someone each day. Ross's pencil, paint, and digital illustrations use bright colors with expressive lines against white pages with words incorporated into the pictures--all of which make the task of writing thank-you notes look like fun, not work. More importantly, this is not a book about manners; it is a very upbeat demonstration of the satisfaction to be found in noticing others' helpfulness and expressing gratitude for it.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Design by Molly Leach. This tenderhearted adventure follows young Rabbit through a series of fanciful encounters in search of the "perfect gift" for his grandmother. Rabbit is unsure of what to get Nana until a crow shares the location of a just-right present. As Rabbit embarks upon his journey, he gets gift suggestions from the moon, a multi-eyed forest creature, and a "big big fish," all of which Rabbit politely dismisses. Tension builds when Rabbit provokes a moody volcano and sneezes into a spooky cave, experiences that only reinforce the youngster's affection for his grandmother ("Nana would probably say a comforting something or other about now"). The quest ends at the top of a steep peak capped with a single carrot; Rabbit undermines his own success, however, when he stops on the way back for a nibble of the very present he'd worked so hard to find. The half-eaten carrot still proves to be the perfect gift for Nana "because it came from him." Themes of familial love, appreciation, and gratitude resist saccharine cliché thanks in large part to Smith's subversive sense of humor and offbeat writing. The mixed-media illustrations are textured and atmospheric, with rich, cool greens, browns, and blues--visually punctuated by a spectacular double-page spread of an erupting volcano in vibrant magenta and yellow. A wide horizontal trim size emphasizes the length of Rabbit's journey, while Leach's distinctive book design shines through thoughtful text layouts that lead readers effortlessly across the pages.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Louis tells his grandma that he wants a dog. When she replies that there are already enough dogs in the neighborhood, Louis goes door to door to get a record of how many. As a result, he doesn't get just a tally of the dogs; he also gets to know his neighbors--Mr. Pierce, whose dog Harvey "will always live in my heart"; a blind woman with a guide dog; and many more (including a surprise appearance by Sadie from Stead and Cordell's Special Delivery, rev. 3/15). Meanwhile, in a subplot told only in the pictures, civic-minded Grandma rolls up her sleeves and establishes a dog park in a previously neglected part of town, City Hall clearly having given her an unsatisfactory response to the letter we saw her typing. As she tells Louis, "Sometimes if you want something done you've just got to do it yourself." Cordell brings to the page a vivid cast of characters as Louis canvasses the neighborhood. His shaggy, loose-lined illustrations in warm pastels are detailed and filled with humor. (The man who owns a dog named E. B. looks a lot like the Charlotte's Web author.) Stead creates an indelible character in Grandma, who is fierce, determined, and kind, and he leaves plenty of room in his lively text for Cordell to add layer upon layer to this already nuanced tale--one that ends sweetly, in more ways than one.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 This Swedish import, extensive in scope, explores the meaning of rivers by taking a multifaceted and impressionistic look at their function and symbolism across the world and throughout history. The narrative is framed by a fictional child and grandmother at a river (the two function as the book's visual through line) and provides lyrical commentary and factual information on each spread. The inquisitive, contemplative child asks Grandma what a river is, and the response is layered. She explains the nature of rivers in ways geographical and topographical, ecological, linguistic, sociological, historical, industrial, personal, and more. Sprawling spreads feature delicate, intricate drawings; detailed, earth-toned paintings in relaxed lines; and a font that mimics handwriting. The grandmother's responses cover a wide ground, identifying the creatures whose lives are sustained by rivers and, toward the close, briefly acknowledging the ways in which humans are polluting them. Many of her responses are evocative ("A river is a smell"), and some honor their lore: one spread pays tribute to mermaids and other "secrets" of rivers, and the following spread acknowledges "a magical underground river called Lethe." This thought-provoking book is a compelling conversation starter for young readers.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by April Harrison. Although her grandmother, Nana Akua, is her "favorite person in the whole universe," young Zura is not excited about the upcoming Grandparents Day at school. She thinks about others' reactions when people notice the marks on her grandmother's face--a tradition from her Akan culture of Ghana--and worries that her classmates will laugh or be mean. But Nana Akua has an idea. When she comes to school with Zura, they bring Zura's quilt, covered in Adinkra symbols. Nana Akua uses them to explain the importance of the tradition that she wears on her face--and she invites the class and grandparents to paint Adinkra symbols on their faces, too. Walker's text is appropriately detailed and uses simple language to express the deepest concerns and observations of a child. The closeness of Zura's family and the camaraderie within her diverse classroom are aspirational and touching. Harrison's mixed-media collages use texture, line, and both neutral and bright colors to create memorable characters and moments that invite readers to linger over each spread. Here is a story that is both highly specific in the culture represented and universal in its expressions of emotion and heritage. Adinkra symbols, with their names, pronunciations, and meanings, adorn the end pages, and a glossary and a short list of print and online resources extend the exploration.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(3) K-3 A young Black girl named Eve lives in a veritable Eden at the edge of a forest somewhere in Africa. Like her biblical namesake, she feels dutybound to care for the living world, a role her dad says trees--the girl’s hobby horse--also play. Eve’s favorite green friend is the baobab tree, so she is delighted when Grandma gifts her a baobab seedling with which to continue an intergenerational tradition of planting a tree for each family member. Like her seedling, Eve will need patience and tender loving care in order to grow big and strong. Wilson-Max’s warm, painterly acrylic illustrations glow with rich subtropical colors. This gentle celebration of our bonds with family and nature is appended with facts about trees and African re-greening projects.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rafael López. Woodson and López (The Day You Begin, rev. 9/18) follow a brother and sister over the course of a challenging year spent mainly indoors: "That was the year we learned to fly." In Woodson's poetic text, the children's grandmother suggests that they use their imaginations to cure their boredom: "Lift your arms, / close your eyes, / take a deep breath, / and believe in a thing." Later, when they move across town and are faced with the challenge of making new friends, their much-practiced skills help them succeed. The book reminds children that imagination is a powerful tool in any situation, and López's colorful, eye-pleasing art enhances this message. Readers also are reminded that they have support from the past: "My grandmother had learned to fly / from the people who came before / They were aunts and uncles and cousins / who were brought here on huge ships / their wrists and ankles cuffed in iron / but, my grandmother said / nobody can ever cuff / your beautiful and brilliant mind." In the accompanying art, the young girl stands with head bowed and her grandmother's hand on her shoulder. Images of ships on the sea are silhouetted against her afro, and away flies a brightly colored bird, now unshackled. In an author's note, Woodson discusses how Virginia ­Hamilton's The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales inspired her to write stories.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Miyares. Wynter (Everybody in the Red Brick Building, rev. 11/21) presents a loving brown-skinned family through the generations in a story that explores, by providing glimpses into the past, how long it takes a tree to grow. In the opening spreads, we see children in the present day figuring out "how high they can climb" in the branches of a tall tree. But before that can happen, a girl (in the past) named Nell must pick up a seed, tend it, and bury its sprout. The children can only play in the tree's cool shade because Nell watered the soil; and so on. Miyares establishes two visual timelines: present-day with elderly Nell and one that is generations past with Nell as a girl. Viewers see the ways in which the characters in the present reap the rewards of a splendid pecan tree (e.g., Nell baking a pecan pie with her grandchildren) and regularly pause to look backward to see young Nell attentively nurturing the tree. Palette choices aid readers with the timeline and the cast of characters: the old and young versions of Nell wear a mustard-colored dress. Wynter's text sings with the economy and elegance of a poem, and specificities delight ("a leaf flecked with holes"). Miyares's (Night Walk to the Sea, rev. 9/21) illustrations, which capture light especially well, reflect the wonder of family, friends, the outdoors--and the magnificence of a tree that began when "Nell picks up a seed."

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) K-3 In this unique second-generation reverse immigration story, a girl named Lily and her mother move from the United States back to her mother's home--Taiwan--to help care for Ah Ma, Lily's grandmother. Taiwan is wildly different from everything Lily knows (backyard barbecues are replaced by Chinese banquets; the family now uses a scooter, not a car, etc.), and she repeatedly voices her displeasure. The turning point occurs when Lily, despondent, quietly tells her mother, "This is not my home." Mom hugs her and says, "I'm sorry. I know this is not your home. But this is mine...And this can be ours." Four consecutive double-page spreads (mostly wordless), with lively panels showing enjoyable activities, depict Lily's change of heart and the actions she takes to give Taiwan a chance. At the end of the story, as her family enjoys a sumptuous meal, Lily can finally say, both in Mandarin and in English, "This is my home." This is a special tale that carries an important message worth hearing. The front and back endpapers show scenes of neighborhoods first in the United States and then in Taiwan, representing the two very different but equally important identities Lily now owns.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023