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FINDING GRANDMA'S MEMORIES

Name: FINDING GRANDMA'S MEMORIES
Author: Jiyeon Pak
ISBN: 978-0-525-58107-9

by Jiyeon Pak ; illustrated by Jiyeon Pak ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 17, 2019

A comforting cup of tenderness for children when aging and memory loss issues begin to brew

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As Grandma ages, teatime changes in the eyes of a loving grandchild.

“Ever since I was really little, I have loved having tea with my grandma.” A young girl remembers the days of holding her stuffed bear as she reaches out to hug her gray-haired maternal grandmother. She explains the teatime ritual, which begins by selecting a teacup from a beautiful collection, as flowers and fruit and cupcakes wait on the table. With bright illustrations brimming with geometric patterns, the pages exude comfort and familiarity. The unnamed narrator’s mother is white with blonde hair, and her father has brown skin and black hair, making the biracial girl a sweet blending of the two. As the narrator grows in age and wisdom, she notices that Grandma is getting confused—she leaves the water running and puts her eyeglasses in the refrigerator. Most alarmingly, she calls her granddaughter by the wrong name. But with optimism and honesty, the girl finds ways to help her grandmother remember. While the story is constructive in tone, readers will also understand that accepting the reality of memory loss is equally important. The gentle theme of spending care-filled time with aging loved ones echoes another title by Pak, My Grandpa’s Chair (2017). As the back cover tagline reads, “When someone you love can’t remember things, maybe you can remember for them.”

A comforting cup of tenderness for children when aging and memory loss issues begin to brew . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-525-58107-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
MY GRANDPA'S CHAIR
by Jiyeon Pak ; illustrated by Jiyeon Pak

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)