MIAMI-NANNY STORIES

Miami-Nanny is more than a grandmother to Joey and his little sister, Sophie. She is a living link to the past. In these three short tales, Miami-Nanny shares with her grandchildren precious reminders of their family's history. In the first story, ``Miami-Nanny,'' Miami-Nanny comes for a visit. The presents she brings are special: To Joey she gives a radio car that belonged to his grandfather, for whom he is named; Sophie gets her great-aunt Itza-Neni's doll. In ``What Papa Joe Did,'' Miami-Nanny tells Joey about his namesake. In WW II Papa Joe escaped the Nazis by swimming across a huge lake, after which he stayed in Europe to fight for freedom. The last story, ``Itza-Neni,'' is about a girl named Bella who couldn't go to school because she had to stay at home and work. She made beautiful featherbeds for her family and to sell, but one day she became ill. She was in bed for weeks, and there she learned to read. When she recovered, her parents realized they had been unfair to Bella and she joined her brothers in school. Little Bella grew up to be Miami-Nanny. Milstein (Amanda's Perfect Hair, not reviewed) faithfully captures the delightful essence of Nannydom, and Han's illustrations fairly burst out of their borders with energy. Everyone will love Miami-Nanny, with her big, wet kisses, chocolate-chip mandelbread, and shopping bags full of presents and memories. (Fiction/Picture book. 5+)