NONNA’S PORCH

A wordless introductory spread provides a wide view of Nonna’s house in the countryside: a cheery yellow home with a periwinkle-blue roof and a big, wide porch. Nonna is always knitting on that porch in her rocking chair, and she is the heart of this peaceful, thoughtful story, told from the point of view of her grandson. Each spread includes a patterned text, beginning with “Nonna’s porch is very still,” followed by one sound that can be heard, including the noises of neighboring creatures and the games played by the visiting grandchildren. The final sounds are Nonna’s heart beating and her rocking chair creaking as she rocks her grandson to sleep under the blanket she’s been knitting throughout the story. Widener’s paintings show a happy Hispanic family and a realistically portrayed grandmother who isn’t elderly, just middle-aged. Gray’s poetic first effort is as satisfying as an ice-cold glass of lemonade and as comforting as a hug from Grandma. (Picture book. 3-7)