GRANDMA'S PURSE

Treasure could be hiding in the most surprising places.

When grandma Mimi visits her young granddaughter, the story’s narrator, the stylish black woman’s huge purse provides endless opportunities for play. The little black girl imagines herself bejeweled and bedazzled with grandma Mimi’s finery. Lipstick, hairpins, sunglasses, and candy are but a few of the riches stashed deep within the bag of possibilities, which she explores while engaged in an animated conversation about what she finds with her grandma. Brantley-Newton, a self-taught illustrator whose artwork is a combination of drawing, painting, and digital work, creates a whimsical interplay of patterns, rich color, and her trademark lively expressions. Grandma Mimi’s purse itself is a patchwork of colors and patterns, and buried within it are objects of various sizes, some that sparkle and others that are soft and silky—a beautiful visual mélange. Grandma Mimi wears big, round spectacles and has a towering, white Afro, while the narrator pairs her lacy top with jeans—it’s easy to see she gets her sense of fashion from her grandma. While the storytelling falters slightly and lacks nuance, the straightforward sweetness of the tale more than makes up for it.

The magic of grandparents is undeniable, and this book is an excellent treat for grandkids to share with their own grandmas and grandpas, or the other way around