NORTH WOODS GIRL

In this picture book, a young girl from the city periodically visits her grandmother who lives in the north woods.

The young narrator tells readers she is thrilled to visit her grandmother even though she “is not like other grandmas...she never bakes cookies or gooey berry pies.” What her grandmother does, and what the narrator loves so much, is that she takes long, appreciative rambles in the woods with her granddaughter accompanying her. The narrator describes how she and her grandma look for migrating ducks in the spring, cool off in the deep woods shade in the summer, and hike beneath a full moon in the winter. Bissonette’s knowledge of and respect for the natural world are evident, and the story is strongest when it describes this relationship with nature. The contrivance of the beginning and end circularity—“My grandma says she’s not a good-looking woman”—comes off as just that, but it is easily overlooked, since the narrator's heartfelt observations of the seasons and admiration of her grandma ring with authenticity. McGehee’s scratchboard, watercolor, and dye illustrations are executed with just the right primitive note and add significant appeal to the overall story with their excellent design and expert color sense.

A celebration of both family and nature with exemplary illustrations.