What should you read with the grandkids?
How about books that honor grandparents, curated by three local grandmothers — children’s book illustrator and grandycamp.info founder Karen Ritz; children’s literature professor and author Lee Galda; and Rebecca Rapport, a retired children’s lit professor and editor.
Here’s a sampling from their “50 Grand Books With Grandparents” list, excerpted with permission.
What a Beautiful Morning
Every morning is beautiful when Noah visits his grandparents. When Grandpa and Noah wake up, they take off singing and hardly stop: walking the dog, splashing through puddles and eating French toast with cinnamon. But one summer Grandpa seems to have forgotten how to do the things they love. Does he even know who Noah is? Grandma steps in energetically, filling in as best she can. But it’s Noah who finds a way back to something he can share with Grandpa. Something musical. Something that makes the morning beautiful again.
Tiny, Perfect Things
A child and a grandfather take a walk around the neighborhood and it turns into a day of shared wonder as they discover all sorts of tiny, special things together. With rhythmic storytelling and detailed and intricate illustrations, this is a book about how childlike curiosity can transform ordinary days into extraordinary adventures.
I Really Want to See You, Grandma
Yumi and her grandmother have the same great idea: They want to see each other. So they each head out to do just that, only to completely miss each other along the way! No problem — they’ll just head back home and wait for the other to return. The trouble is that they have the same great idea — again — resulting in another missed connection. Will this duo ever find each other? Leave it to bestselling author-illustrator Taro Gomi to spin an action-packed story that sweetly, and humorously, celebrates the powerful grandparent-child bond.
Grandma’s Purse
When Grandma Mimi comes to visit, she always brings warm hugs, sweet treats and … her purse. You never know what she’ll have in there — fancy jewelry, tokens from around the world or something special just for her granddaughter. It might look like a normal bag from the outside, but Mimi and her granddaughter know that it’s pure magic!
A Long Way from Chicago
Best for a school-age reader, this tale is about a tough, witty, larger-than-life and, yes, manipulative grandma who can do almost anything. The tales may be outlandish, but “all memories are true.”
When I Go Camping With Grandma
Penned by former Good Age cover star Marion Dane Bauer, this story follows a young girl who goes camping with her grandmother and, whether paddling a kayak or setting up camp, experiences the wonders of nature and of her grandmother’s love.
Find the authors’ full list of 50 books that honor grandparents at grandycamp.info, featuring tons of book ideas and activities for active grandparents.
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