GRANDMAS ARE THE GREATEST

A celebration of grandmothers’ talents and strengths.

As several grandmas with many different body types, skin colors, heritages, and religions gather on a beach for a “Grandmas’ Beach Picnic” with their grandchildren, a brown-skinned child asks a grandmother if she had a grandma, too. “You bet I did, the very BEST! / So STRONG and brave and true. / There’s a great long line of grandmas / that leads all the way to YOU.” Readers might expect a family history of grandmas. Instead, each child at the picnic introduces their own grandmother: an actor, a backyard gardener, an ambulance driver. One’s a chef who makes “yummy starters, / gorgeous mains.” Some of these escapades might just be imaginary—we see one grandma in midair, ready to be caught by her grandchild, who swings by the knees from a trapeze. A racecar driver sits with her grandchild and their toy cars before a miniature race course. The text then loops back to the original pair: Grandma’s not an actor or spy, but the duo have fun together telling jokes and secrets, snuggling and playing games, and sharing love. Tudor’s cartoon illustrations match Faulks’ bouncy rhymes and highlight the intergenerational interactions. The grandchildren all appear to be only children of about the same age. Each of the pairs shares the same skin tone.

A festive intergenerational shindig.