CAKE WITH NONNA

In Bruno’s bilingual picture book, a little girl learns to treasure the memories of her grandmother.

Young Lidia lives next door to her Nonna Ida, who sweeps her house, harvests beans and tomatoes from her garden, and picks apples from her tree in order to make her grandchild’s favorite apple cake. Lidia helps with all of these tasks, and while the cake bakes, Nonna regales her with funny stories about her late grandfather because, the elderly woman says, “When I think of him, he is alive in my heart.” After Nonna Ida dies, Lidia receives a package containing a treasured apron, the broom Nonna Ida used for sweeping, seeds, and the cake recipe. Lidia and her mother bake it together: “Because every time we think of her, she is alive in our hearts!” (Lidia and her family members are portrayed with pale skin.) The book has a glossary of Italian words that Ida uses throughout, as well as an apple cake recipe, although American bakers may have trouble finding vanillin sachets. The story, like the dessert, is simple but sweet—and learning a few Italian words is, pun intended, the icing on the cake. The book also deftly handles the sadness of losing a grandparent. Shippey’s full-color, cartoon-style illustrations are unremarkable but don’t detract from the story.

A wholesome and accessible tale about remembering loved ones.