We are so excited to present our #ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2019 in conjunction with Children’s Book Council! This year we have 10 amazing authors with unique book lists to share. Each author is also doing a book giveaway!
Please welcome Meera Sriram today with her Multicultural Picture Books Celebrating Grandparental Love book list. We are giving away 10 copies of her picture book, The Yellow Suitcase! Please use the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.
Grandparents care, teach, protect, and inspire, with gentleness and wisdom. They are often special because they tell stories and pass on traditions, make favorite dishes and share fun activities. Sometimes they are a short ride away and sometimes they live across seas. Some other times, they are only fond memories. In families all around the world, grandparents are always special, their love universal…eternal.
Here’s a list of picture books, with stories set in diverse cultural contexts, that celebrate the prized love children share with their grandmothers and grandfathers.
Multicultural Picture Books Celebrating Grandparental Love
DRAWN TOGETHER by Minh Lê & illustrated by Dan Santat
The silence between a Thai-speaking grandfather and an English-speaking grandson is as stark as the contrast in their lives. However, the language wall that divides and frustrates them one evening melts away as they find common ground over their shared love for art. Told in sparse text, but with mesmerizing art in generous portions, this book shows that love brings down all types of barriers including age, culture, and language. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
THUNDER CAKE by Patricia Polacco
Patricia Polacco is a master storyteller and talented illustrator. Her stories, often rooted in her East European heritage, capture the charm of childhood and warmth of family. This autobiographical story tells how Babushka comes up with the perfect “recipe” to help her granddaughter fight her fear of thunder. Well, don’t grandmothers offer the best solution for everything? [picture book, ages 4 and up]
ABUELA’S WEAVE by Omar S. Castañeda & illustrated by Enrique O. Sánchez
Young Esperanza learns to weave from her grandmother. Together, they weave from dawn to dusk, preparing to sell their handwoven magic at the local market in Guatemala. But there are several challenges, and what if no one wants to buy their beautiful huipiles and gorgeous Mayan tapestry? Esperanza has to find out on her own. This story is a beautiful celebration of grandparents as preservers of family heritage and traditions. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY by Allen Say
Say recalls with nostalgia the glorious life of his grandfather who traveled back and forth between America and Asia. When Say realizes that his own immigrant journey mimics a similar trajectory, he relates to his grandfather’s feeling of calling more than one place home. Allen Say’s delicate paintings do equal justice to the beautiful countrysides of both California and Japan. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
GRANDAD MANDELA by Zazi, Ziwelene & Zindzi Mandela & illustrated by Sean Qualls
In a unique Q&A narrative, Grandma Zindzi (Nelson and Winnie Mandela’s daughter) shares the life story of her father with her grandchildren, Zazi and Ziwelene. Using simple words, she explains apartheid, and Mandela’s fight and triumph, while highlighting his forgiving and persevering nature. If your great-grandfather is a global icon of peace, then there’s quite a legacy to live up to. Luckily, Grandma Zindzi leaves her listeners inspired and empowered. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
MANGO, ABUELA, AND ME by Meg Medina & illustrated by Angela Dominguez
When Abuela comes to live with Mia’s family, Mia and her grandmother have a hard time sharing stories–Abuela’s English is as limited as Mia’s Spanish. But they don’t give up. With word cards, reasonable practice, and a whole lot of assistance from a talkative parrot, Abuela and Mia bond over brimming mouths and hearts. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
COMING ON HOME SOON by Jacqueline Woodson & illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Woodson never fails to affect us with her powerful writing and poignant stories. In Coming on Home Soon, Ada Ruth’s mother is off to Chicago to find work and make money during the war. Grandma is Ada Ruth’s pillar of strength and hope until Mama writes back of her return. “Grandma holds me when I cry. Hush now, she says. It’s going to be all right.” Somehow, grandparents know how to lift spirits, with their warm touch, right words, and big heart. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
THE YELLOW SUITCASE by Meera Sriram & illustrated by Meera Sethi
When Asha travels with her family to India to mourn her grandmother’s passing, she journeys through every stage of grief, before a special gift in her suitcase makes her realize that the memory of her grandmother will live on forever. In the backdrop of a cross-cultural experience, The Yellow Suitcase is a story of love, loss, and hope. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
The Yellow Suitcase 10 Picture Book GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away 10 copies of her picture book, The Yellow Suitcase! Please use the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.
Meera Sriram grew up in India and moved to the U.S at the turn of the millennium. An electrical engineer in her past life, she now enjoys writing for children and advocating early and multicultural literacy. Meera has coauthored several books published in India. “The Yellow Suitcase” is her debut picture book in the U.S. She believes in the transformative power of stories and writes on cross-cultural experiences that often take her back to her roots. Meera loves yoga and chai, and lives with her husband and two children in Berkeley, California, where she fantasizes about a world with no borders.
Connect with Meera: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, WEBSITE.
