This down-home tale of the oddball antics of a granny is a perfect fit for Booth's distinctive illustrations. Ma's hard at work, so she keeps sending one of the kids off to fetch Grandma. But Grandma is always up to something eccentric, soaking her foot in the stew pot on the stove, painting the kids' coats bright colors, sliding down the haystack with her many animal pals. She's too busy to help, until Ma asks that she play her banjo. That Grandma will do, and the evening comes to a close with a banjo-picking, sing-along hoedown. Wayland (To Rabbittown, 1989) kindly includes music and words to the tune, so readers can sing, too). Booth tones his people down a notch, though Ma's hitched-up elbows and Grandma's clodhopper shoes convey character with a minimum of detail. The animals, though, make the book, and as Grandma's menagerie includes porcupines, ducks, cats, dogs, and raccoons, there's ample opportunity for goofy cartooning. A brand new hill tale with so much pep readers will swear it's been handed down for generations. Read it out loud. (Picture book. 5-7)
