Title: Where’s My Grandma?
Author: Sandy Blanes
Illustrations: Sergio Drumond
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-5434-1479-0
Pages: 42
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
In one word, adorable! Sandy Blanes has taken a little girl’s desire to see her Grandma to a new level of fun and loving acceptance, in her book titled Where’s My Grandma? Built up with such a wonderful storyline complete with an international flair, a young girl named Jennie Bella is searching for her own Grandma after noticing everyone else has one. She is shown how the word grandma is pronounced in many languages and by different people. Everyone has a grandma – most, of course, have two – but Jennie Bella has never seen either of her own grandmas. One died before she was born, so that ends that, but what about her other one? As it turns out her other grandma lives so far away they don’t see her.
Left to her own childish imagination, Jennie Bella creates a new grandma. She tells her friends and family about her new grandma; having purple stockings, blue hair, swimming in the ocean and even making cookies for breakfast. Sure, everyone listens to her tales but it comes to a point when Jennie Bella calls her grandma – her parents are wondering if in fact she is talking to someone on the other end of the phone or just making up the conversation. Then comes the ultimate disclosure – she wants to bring her family over to see her! What will happen? Is there a real person or has Jennie Bella’s imagination gone too far? It all comes to a head at the ending of the story – and not wanting to be a spoiler, I will only say it is one of the best endings I have every read!
With clever illustrations bringing out the emotions of Jennie Bella and her parents, along with drawings of other grandmothers, the story moves along at a pace just right for bedtime “tuck-in” moments. The use of language in teaching Jennie Bella the names of grandma in foreign languages, along with the storyboard illustrations, create a feeling of educating while it entertains. Yes, having the reveal at the end of – well, I can’t tell you – you’ll have to read it on your own – brings this to the “Best of the Best” category of creativity in this very popular genre.
As I definitely recommend this book be bought by all families, and used as a gift for others, there is one irony of this book in which I can tell you about; that is the author, Sandy Blanes, is in fact a grandma herself!
