When I Found Grandma (When I Found Grandma #1)

by Saumiya Balasubramaniam (Author) Qin Leng (Illustrator)

When I Found Grandma (When I Found Grandma #1)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Maya longs to see her grandmother, but when Grandma arrives from far away for a visit, she is not quite what Maya expected.

When Maya's grandma makes a surprise visit from thousands of miles away, Maya is delighted. But her excitement doesn't last long. When Grandma picks her up from school, she wears fancy clothes and talks too loudly. Grandma's morning prayer bells wake Maya up, and she cooks with ingredients Maya doesn't usually eat. Plus, Maya thinks cupcakes taste better than Grandma's homemade sweets. Maya and Grandma try to compromise, and on a special trip to the island Grandma even wears an "all-American" baseball cap. But when Maya rushes off to find the carousel, she loses sight of her mother, father and grandmother. She is alone in a sea of people ... until she spots something bobbing above the crowd, and right away she knows how to find her way.

Saumiya Balasubramaniam's story is an insightful and endearing portrayal of a grandparent-grandchild relationship that is evolving and deeply loving, as Maya and Grandma navigate cross-cultural contexts and generational differences. Qin Leng's sweet, evocative illustrations complement the story and illuminate Grandma and Maya's growing closeness.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6 Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

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ALA/Booklist

Recognizing both points of view, the writer tells her story with a light touch and a wry sense of humor, which are reflected in the lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations.

Publishers Weekly

A child named Maya is curious about her grandmother, who lives far away. When Grandma arrives for a visit, she isn't what Maya had expected: she dresses in "fancy clothes" (a sari), brings a tray of treats (Maya prefers cupcakes), and rings prayer bells (which Maya hides). But her grandmother agrees to forgo a temple visit for a trip to an island fair, where she wears a casual pair of pants, buys an "all-American hat" on the boardwalk, and finds Maya when she gets lost looking for the carousel. Maya, in turn, tries her grandma's rice with cashews and grows to love the sound of her bells. Leng presents each interaction between Maya and her grandmother in hushed yet expressive ink-and-watercolor art. Discovering and embracing differences leads to stronger bonds between family members, Balasubramaniam asserts in this subtle, heartfelt story. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

[A] picture book that recognizes a child's preference for what's familiar, the jolt of cultural differences, and the possibility of bridging those differences when there's goodwill on both sides. Recognizing both points of view, the writer tells her story with a light touch and a wry sense of humor, which are reflected in the lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations.— Booklist
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781773060187
Lexile Measure
570
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Groundwood Books
Publication date
March 01, 2019
Series
When I Found Grandma
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
Library of Congress categories
Fiction
Grandmothers
Picture books
Grandparent and child
Missing children
Juvenile works
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Multigenerational
Merry-go-round
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Emotions &
Cultural awareness

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