GREAT-GRANDMOTHER'S TREASURE

A book that does a pretty good job of limning what to a child is a leap of faith not easily accomplished—picturing a great-grandmother as young, with a child’s feelings, and involved in kid stuff. Tracing the life of a great-grandmother (and always referring to her as such, which contextualizes her), Hickcox makes readers witnesses to her growing up, raising a family, then tending to an ever-increasing brood. The child gathers treasures first as experiences and then, as an adult, keeps them as memories. Hickcox humanizes the girl—the only thing she ever sewed was an apron, into which she places (invisibly) her memory-treasures—and the woman: “Sure as God’s in his heaven, she thought to herself, isn’t this a hoot! Here I am, looking old as Philadelphia, but inside I am still exactly me.” The connections are clear; readers may love the character, but they’ll reflect on their own ancient relatives as well. Soman’s illustrations work beautifully with the story, capturing with equal skill the great-grandmother’s decades of zest, and the melancholy moments that befall the old and young alike. (Picture book. 4-7)