Random House Australia

Of course I can be a little smug since Small so often tells me  lovingly that I am ‘the best Gran in the whole world’. This little person and I have always had such a close bond and that was made even closer when Mummy became so critically ill and K came to stay with me. Since we lost Mummy the bond just gets deeper and deeper, closer and closer. Not only do I strive to make her as happy, settled and secure as possible but I actively encourage her natural curiosity and imagination, her innate desire to explore and observe and her acute intuition regarding life and people.

Here are two wonderful picture books that both celebrate the special-ness of grandparents. Long may we reign1

Miss Mae’s Saturday – Justine Flynn/J.Yi

ISBN: 9780857988584

Published: 28/03/2016

Imprint: Random House Australia Children’s

RRP $16.99

 

Every Saturday Mae has the boundless joy of adventures with her Grandma – the ballet, the zoo or the park. Everything is a new exciting experience.

 

But what to do when Saturday is dreary and rainy? Miss Mae is initially dubious when Grandma produces a huge cardboard box – with NOTHING in it! But is very quickly convinced once the epic adventures start – a safari jeep and being confronted by lions, a plane soaring through the blossoms in Korea or zooming through space  – this is the best Saturday ever!

 

This is a book which will be very special to both grandmothers and grandchildren and will promote the often overlooked simple imaginative play which children all love.

 

Check out the teaching notes here.

Wild Pa – Claire Saxby – Connah Brecon

ISBN: 9780857988003

Published: 01/08/2016

Imprint: Random House Australia Children’s

 

RRP $24.99

 

This lucky child also has a grandparent with pizzazz! No boring balding grandfathers here with their tidy garden obsessions or cups of tea with the newspapers.

The Wild Pa chases through the house, is groovy and groomed, prefers exciting food to beans and sausages and never minds when the house gets messy. Well, eventually he decides it’s time to clean up a bit but even that’s fun and then – the next adventure begins!

Claire Saxby’s delightful rhyming text and Dylan Thomas portrait like descriptors are always a joy to read aloud and Brecon’s illustrations jump off the pages with vibrancy and humour.

 

Both of these are bound to be great hits in your collection. I’m just a bit disappointed that we have already had our Grandparents Day for this year but will definitely keeping both in mind for next year’s fun.
Highly recommended for readers from Prep upwards.