Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story!
by JaNay Brown-Wood; illus. by Priscilla Burris
Preschool    Charlesbridge    32 pp.
8/17    978-1-58089-712-9    $16.99
e-book ed.  978-1-60734-868-9    $9.99

No matter how big Grandma’s extended family grows, she always finds room for relatives and friends. The young, brown-skinned narrator describes in (generally) metered verse a gathering at Grandma’s house. The party includes one grandma, two turkeys, three neighbors (who come bearing “FOUR pots of hot greens and ham hocks”)…all the way up to fifteen grandkids ready for a feast. When as many warm bodies as possible squeeze into Grandma’s small house, the young narrator whispers in Grandma’s ear her great idea to help everyone enjoy the party more. Burris’s lively, cheerful watercolor illustrations convey the frenetic nature of this gathering, the joy the relatives and friends share in being together, and Grandma’s determination to make all her guests welcome. Burris also includes an abundance of natural Afro hairstyles in her illustrations, offering a variety of mirrors for readers with naturally textured hair. Children and adults alike will appreciate all the ways this family enjoys one another’s company. A fine addition to book collections about families, food, counting, and joyous gatherings.

From the November/December 2017 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.