cover image Grandma’s House

Grandma’s House

Alice Melvin. Tate (Abrams, dist.), $19.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-84976-222-9

Flaps and die-cut holes reveal the interior rooms of a schoolgirl’s grandmother’s house. As the girl searches for her elder, readers can peer through die-cut doors to see details from the adjoining rooms, while gatefolds open to show the rooms in their entirety. Shelves throughout the house display figurines, ornate china, and books, while floral wallpaper, rugs, and animal motifs contribute to a cozy-quirky ambiance. The story’s most dramatic foldout reveals a “top secret hideout” in the attic that the girl reaches via ladder. Once the girl walks through an ornate stained-glass sunroom into a garden, a birthday tea party and her loving grandmother await. Melvin’s graceful design creates a sense of truly being inside the house, while the assortment of distinctive objects makes it the sort of place readers will want to revisit. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)