Children’s lives are enriched through loving interactions with grandparents and caring elders. Grandparents Day, on September 8, offers a chance to thank them for their presence and all they provide – babysitting, memorable visits, hard-won wisdom and love.
Tots – age 7
Like So
Like So- By Ruth Forman
- Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
- Little Simon, 2024, $18.99
As the year progresses, a young child revels in the activities of each season with her grandmother, with exuberant hugs in a burgeoning spring, quiet walks amidst changing leaves and making a snowman under a sky aglow with stars. Raissa Figueroa’s vivid art pairs beautifully with Washington author Ruth Forman’s touching, lyrical text.
Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa
Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa- By Anna Dewdney
- Viking, 2015, $18.99
Available in board and larger picture book formats, this beloved tale from the late Anna Dewdney’s bestselling rhyming Llama Llama series spotlights a situation familiar to many little ones: the first sleepover. Llama is excited about his solo visit with his grandmother and grandfather, which gives him a chance to experience different foods (“something stewed”) and familiar rituals (a bedtime story) in a different place. When he realizes he has left his favorite toy at home and starts to cry, his grandparents are kind and reassuring. They help him to meet the challenge of this separation in a way that both comforts him and honors his budding independence and ability to handle the crisis. For kids with qualms about a solo sleepover, this seems the perfect book to share in advance.
Baking Bread with Jiddo
Baking Bread with Jiddo- By Carrie Maslen
- Stirred Stories, 2024, $19.95
This tender, expressive debut explores the loving bonds formed between generations through the sharing of skills and stories and celebrates family traditions. Local author/illustrator Carrie Maslen draws loosely upon childhood memories of visits to the Wisconsin home of her beloved grandfather, Jiddo, an immigrant from Greater Syria, now Lebanon. In the book, the eager child narrator recounts how she bakes flat Arabic bread each morning with her grandfather and happily listens to his tales of picking peaches in his old Middle Eastern village and opening his grocery store in the United States. When he becomes sick in bed with a cold, he entrusts this important task to her. She hears his encouraging voice in her head as she tentatively forms and bakes her first loaves without him – and then shares with her larger family. An added bonus to this lovely book: an easy-to-follow recipe in the back for young would-be bakers.
Mango, Abuela, and Me
Mango, Abuela, and Me- By Meg Medina
- Illustrated by Angela Dominguez
- Candlewick, 2015, $17.99
In an enchanting classic awarded a prestigious Pura Belpre honor in both the author and illustrator categories, a parrot called Mango assists a little girl and her immigrant grandmother to learn the language of the other, until over time, their shared care of the bird has them joyfully conversing together in English and Spanish. This sweet, lively story moves beyond a focus solely on these two to show how they welcome others into their language lessons and help create a more connected community.
Preteens
Not Nothing
Not Nothing- By Gayle Forman
- Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 2024, $17.99
Who could guess that 12-year-old Alex and 107-year-old Josey will prove to be the perfect friends for the other at a hard, lonely time? But when angry Alex must do community service at Shady Glen, the retirement home where Josey lives, the two begin to share personal details. Deep down, Alex – with a mentally ill mother and resentful aunt – fears he is nothing, and Josey, who has outlived his friends, feels he is merely waiting for death. But Josey mobilizes to help when Alex faces the dire consequences of a terrible thing he has done, and it is Josey who believes that Alex can chart a different course for his life, if he begins to take responsibility for his actions. In bringing a sense of purpose to his remaining days, Josey becomes a wise and caring model for Alex. You’ll find yourself pondering this richly layered, heartfelt novel long after you’ve turned the last page.
Teens
Where Wolves Don’t Die
Where Wolves Don’t Die- By Anton Treuer
- Levine Querido, 2024, $18.99
To protect him from a vengeful bully named Matt, Ezra is sent from northeast Minneapolis, where his father is a professor of their Ojibwe language at a local university, to learn to trap with his grandfather in the Canadian wilderness. During this time, Ezra confronts wolves, battles a bear and absorbs his grandfather’s stories of the past and of a deep loss that haunts the family. But when his grandfather is gravely injured and Ezra must return, the enraged bully and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are waiting for him. Matt plans to harm him, while the RCMP share news so shocking about his grandfather that Ezra is determined to uncover the truth. Full of plot twists, this novel is a suspenseful, emotionally charged portrait of a young man coming to a greater understanding of his family, his heritage and himself.
Mary Quattlebaum lives in Washington, D.C. and is the author of 30 award-winning children’s books, most recently Queen Elizabeth II, an early reader biography. She teaches in the graduate program in writing for children at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, writes frequently for The Washington Post and is a popular school and conference speaker. maryquattlebaum.com
