Whatever names you may have for them, based on tradition or heritage, grandparents are special. Here are some of my favorite picture books in which a child's relationship with one or both grandparents features prominently. For this list I decided to focus on living grandparents, rather than books that deal with loss -- but those are important too, and I plan on compiling a separate list later.

Last Stop on Market Street is a deceptively simple story about a boy named CJ and his Nana who are traveling by bus to volunteer at a soup kitchen. There are some eccentric-looking people on the bus, and they pass through a "dirtier" part of the city, but these things do not weigh down Nana's perception of the world. Instead, she and CJ make some connections with their fellow bus passengers, and CJ's Nana encourages him to take a higher view of life, no matter what they are doing. You can learn a lot from a Nana like this, without even realizing it.

I grew up enjoying the Else Minarik classic (also illustrated by Maurice Sendak of Where the Wild Things Are fame) Little Bear's Friend, and so I also enjoyed the simplicity and charm of Little Bear's Visit, in which Little Bear goes to visit his grandparents for the day. It is not a busy day, but a day for exploring and spending time with his grandparents, as each one tells him a story -- his grandmother tells him the story of her pet robin and how she eventually let him go, and his grandfather tells the more fantastical tale of a goblin who is scared by a bump in an old cave and hears something coming after him (it's not as scary as it at first sounds). It's divided into short chapters for early readers, but my kids enjoy having it read aloud to them too.

Time for Bed, Miyuki is a whimsical and fantastical story of a girl whose grandfather urges her to go to bed, but patiently puts up with the extraordinary things that she must get done before she is able to slumber. Very cool illustrations too, which tie in to Japanese culture. See my full review here.

Nana in the City is about a boy who goes to visit his Nana in the city, and is at first nervous about how noisy and different it is, but soon comes to appreciate it more with his Nana's help. The plot is simple, but the relationship is sweet, and the illustrations are lovely and vibrant. The beautiful foliage colors also make this a wonderful book for autumn. See my full review here.

Joy is a very sweet book in which a girl named Fern tries to cheer her Nanna up, but finds it very difficult to capture joy with ordinary physical tools. Her child-like perspective is believable, and together she and her Nanna learn how to find pieces of joy even in the midst of difficulty, by helping each other. See my full reivew here.

We really enjoyed Reeve Lindbergh's lovely poem about the life of Johnny Appleseed, as well as Kathy Jakobsen's intricate and colorful illustrations of an older, wilder American countryside, capturing each season beautifully. It helps that we'd previously read a biographical picture book about Johnny Appleseed's life, but this poem still manages to include basic information about him and what he did while maintaining poetic structure.

For part of this book, we see Johnny through the eyes of Hannah, who first meets him on his travels when she's a girl, and sees him again when he's old and she's getting older too. We learn about his pacifist nature and genuine belief that he should "hurt no living thing," and his helpful attitude and desire to help settlers grow their own food. We also learn that he has become a legend since his lifetime and that sometimes it's hard to tell truth from fiction when it comes to stories of his life.

There is an additional page of information about him at the end of the book, but the poem itself does such a good job of not only communicating information, but evoking the spirit of Johnny Appleseed, and what he's come to represent in American history and lore: adventure, independence, helpfulness, sacrifice, and love and conservation of nature.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Paperback
Author: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrator: Kathy Jakobsen
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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Time for Bed, Miyuki is a charming, fantastical story of a girl who doesn't want to go to bed. While that is not an unusual theme for children's literature, this story stands out by its use of amusing fantasy elements (such as a family of giant snails, and creative use of character sizes), as well as the celebration of certain aspects of Japanese culture.

I love the colors in the illustrations, and the way that fantasy is incorporated into reality -- I think it strikes a good balance. Miyuki's grandfather patiently plays along with each of her requests to complete all the different things she must do before bed, but by the end she finally does lie down and go to sleep, making this a great, whimsical bedtime story.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Roxane Marie Galliez
Illustrator: Seng Soun Ratanavanh
Pages: 26
Content Advisory: None

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Jane Austen is one of the latest in the Little People, Big Dreams series (I previously reviewed Ada Lovelace), and I'm glad to see the inclusion of one of Britain's most famous female authors. I'm not quite as enormous a fan as some, but I did enjoy Pride and Prejudice, and respect what Jane accomplished in her time.

This book introduces Jane Austen to young children, focusing on her large, close family, and emphasizing that Jane received an education that was more expansive than what many girls received in those days. We also see her love of reading and writing and her determination to be a good storyteller, and to use writing to make the best of a sad situation in her life.

Her life is covered fairly quickly since a book for young children can't be too wordy, but overall it is an interesting peek into the past and thorough introduction to a beloved author.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Illustrator: Katie Wilson
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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I really enjoyed the soft and colorful illustrations in Joy even before reading the story, but I loved the story itself just as much. 

Fern's Nanna has been acting tired and less energetic lately -- it seems the joy has gone out of her life. Without getting into all the "adulty" explanations about aging and mental health, we simply watch Fern as she tries to physically capture joy in her determined, child-like way. As the reader likely expects, this doesn't work, so Fern tells her Nanna about her troubles. She learns that she can help bring joy to her Nanna by just being herself.

I loved the sweetness and concern that Fern displays for her Nanna, and that in the end, even though she can't fix all of her Nanna's problems (which aren't explained here), she can still help her to experience some joy in the midst of hardship. A very sweet and encouraging book.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Corrinne Averiss
Illustrator: Isabelle Follath
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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