MEET MY GRANDMOTHER

Adopting the voice of Vicki Cobb’s real granddaughter Abigail, McElroy presents an authentic-sounding middle-grader’s-eye view of Grandma at work and at play. With Cobb, a veteran author of nonfiction, there sometimes isn’t all that much difference between the two, especially when “work” involves conducting science experiments with a leaf blower and a roll of toilet paper, or traveling to distant corners of the globe. To be sure, in the bright color photos Grandma is also seen visiting schools, talking with colleagues, thinking about a current project, and even, once, sitting down at the keyboard—as well as getting married, taking Abby into town for a shopping expedition, and fussing over her granddaughter’s hair before a school play. Children with an interest in what other people’s grandmas are like will be fascinated by this and its sister titles in the Meet My Grandmother series. (Nonfiction. 7-9)