cover image Grandma’s Tiny House

Grandma’s Tiny House

JaNay Brown-Wood, illus. by Priscilla Burris. Charlesbridge, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58089-712-9

A grandmother welcomes her family, friends, and neighbors into her small home, and everyone arrives with lots of food and energy. As the guests show up, Brown-Wood counts up to “15 hungry grandkids,” writing in breezy, confident rhymes: “Nine chatting aunties all head for the den,/ and set down the cheesecakes that add up to ten.” Burris introduces the mostly African-American cast in smudgy digital illustrations with crayonlike outlines, creating a vibe of good-natured chaos. With no room indoors, the party moves into the backyard: “Perfect in size, at the edge of Brown Street,/ sits Grandma’s backyard, where we all go to eat.” A warmhearted tribute to the messy joys of a big, impromptu gathering. Ages 2–5. (Aug.)