The Care and Keeping of Grandmas

When we think about the difficulties in adjusting to moving to a new house, we usually think of how children miss their friends and the familiarity of their old home.

But it’s the same for adults who are used to their spaces and routines. In The Care and Keeping of Grandmas, Burlington, Ontario writer Jennifer Mook-Sang shows how a small child helps to make the transition of moving easier for her grandmother who is coming to live with the little girl’s family. The picture book is full of ironic, humorous moments, both in the text and the illustrations. The text and the illustrations work in tandem, suitable to a young child’s outlook about what is needed.

A few examples:

“I kept her company whenever she needed some quiet time” - shows the child intruding on the grandmother as she tries to paint and read. But the little girl is keeping grandma company, something that she thinks the older woman needs.

“My grandma was discombobulated by changes to her routine. But I was patient. Eventually, we found plans that worked for everyone.” Here, Grandma must share a space with the young girl, but it’s hard to work at a computer when someone is playing a noisy guitar behind! Ear phones for grandma are a happy solution.

“Grandmas can’t do everything themselves, so I was always there when she needed me.” The little girl “helps” Grandma in the kitchen, creating a mess, she “helps” buy groceries and then sits with Grandma, contemplating a plant that didn’t survive the move to a different home.

Most importantly, the little girl realizes that, even with her help, “my grandma was sometimes a little wilted” as Grandma holds the portrait of someone she has lost, the real reason for her sadness. Cuddling and smiles are required, and the little girl “knows just what to do.”

Illustrator Yong Ling Kang has drawn appealing pencil and watercolour paintings that capture the excitement the child feels at having Grandma move in, the intensity of her efforts to make Grandma happy, and the bond between the generations. Kang uses splashes of soft colour to indicate walls, floors and the outdoors. Her careful drawings show a typical contemporary home, one with which many young readers will identify. The characters’ faces are sparely drawn, but their range of emotions is precisely indicated.

The Care and Keeping of Grandmas will appeal to families and will be especially useful for those with relatives making that transition. The book’s contents will also demonstrate to children who are moving that, with love, other people have made make it through, and so can they.