World Kid Lit Month 2024: Grandparents

I had a wonderful relationship with (most of) my grandparents. And, the relationship between child and grandparent can be a very special one indeed, with support going both ways. 

The encyclopedia of Grannies by Éric Veillé & Daniel Hahn. 

Quirky illustration and text makes this a riotous read. 

Koro / Pops by Gavin Bishop. 

A deceptively simple board book, which is available in both English and te reo Māori. 

Maia and what matters to Tine Mortier, Kaatje Vermeire, & David Colmer. 

The relationship between a grandchild and their grandmother, especially after the grandmother has a stroke, and their grandfather dies. 

Tibble and Grandpa by Wendy Meddour & Daniel Egneus. 

Tibble and Grandpa has a similar story to the above: a grieving grandparent, recovering from a stroke. 

World Kid Lit Month 2023: A Book from Asia

A book from Asia: 

I really want to see you, Grandma. 
By Tarō Gomi. 

Chronicle Books, 2018. 

A tale of missed meetings, through a landscape which is, I'm sure, inspired by Tarō Gomi's Japanese homeland. 

The narrow and long format of the book helps convey the distance each character travel - and the way they cross each other's paths, without realising it. 

I enjoyed the facial expressions - the looks of consternation and dismay. 

And there is a lovely meeting and ending. 

World Kid Lit Month: 2022: Day 14: A book translated from a language you don't know

Bingo: A book translated from a language you don't know:

Maia and what matters 

By Tine Mortier; illus Kaatje Vermeire; trans David Colmer

Maia and her grandmother have a special relationship. After Grandma has a stroke, only Maia seems to understand her.

World Kid Lit Month 2022: Day five: A book from South Asia

Bingo: A book from South Asia:

Grandmother school by Rina Singh and Ellen Rooney.

The power of literacy is encapsulated in this picture book, based on a true story.

Also — the power of connection, of story — including oral storytelling and history.

World Kid Lit Month 2021: PALESTINE

PALESTINE: 

Sitti's secrets. 

By Naomi Shihab Nye; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. 

When Sitti, an American girl, goes to visit her grandmother in her small Middle Eastern village on the other side of the world, they don't need words to understand each other's heart.

World Kid Lit Month 2021: INDIA

INDIA: 

Where three oceans meet. 

By Rajani LaRocca; illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan. 

Travelling to the southern tip of India, Sejal, Mommy, and Pati find their way to Kanyakumari, where three oceans meet, and delight in making it to the end of the earth together.

World Kid Lit Month 2021: FIJI

FIJI: 

Fiji-baat. 

By Salvin Kumar. 

The story of an 8-year old boy who is from Australia. He accompanies his mother on a trip to see his nana for Christmas. The young boy arrives in Fiji thinking that nana barely speaks English but is surprised to learn the opposite. The grandson and his grandfather then begin a journey of teaching and learning from each other.