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PICTURE BOOKS
Ferneyhough, Liza

Nana, Nenek & Nina

32 pp. | Dial | August, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-0-59335-394-3 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-59335-395-0 $10.99
(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

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