The Care and Keeping of Grandmas

Celebrating all the special Elders in our live, The Care and Keeping of Grandmas by Jennifer Mok-Sang and Yong Ling Kang is a lovely story about merging households and developing new routines.

When Grandma comes to live with her grandchildren change can be hard. Not to worry! The grandchildren know exactly what to do to take care of Grandma.

Jennifer Mook-Sang’s charming story is filled with love for grandparents. Many cultures have multi-generational households and it’s becoming more and more common for grandparents and grandchildren to cohabitate. At times, it can be tricky to merge households and this charming story helps show young readers how they can help their grandparent(s) feel at home. Jennifer Mook-Sang infuses the story with a huge amount of pride. The child narrator of the story is clearly proud of how they have taken charge of being responsible for grandma. Children love to be helpful and to take on the task of taking care of a grandparent is a very special responsibility. I love how so many children will be able to relate to the family in this story and how this story can be an example for children who may find themselves living with a grandparent in time.

Yong Ling Kang;s illustrations are gorgeous. All of the sense of pride that comes through the text is reflected in the illustrations. Her work is joyful and vibrant with lots of colour. I love how there are so many little vignettes that are filled with all of the little moments that make up a day or a week. Baking, gardening, shopping, all of the things that may seem mundane are the things we will remember the most about our grandparents and that bring the most joy, perfectly captured.