Grandmother's Visit

August 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-This moving tale of love and loss features the special bond between a young girl and her Chinese grandmother. In a gentle first-person narrative, the child explains how her grandmother teaches her the secrets of making rice and shares stories about growing up in China. Grandmother walks the young narrator to and from school each day, until one day, her father takes over. After that, Grandmother's bedroom door stays closed, until one day, only her jade bracelet, photo album, blue jacket, and house keys are left, and Grandmother is no longer there. After her grandmother's funeral, the girl's mother turns on all the outside lights of their house so that Grandmother's spirit can find its way home for one final goodbye. Soft, digitally painted illustrations complement and add to this poignant story, which together capture the comfort of closure, tradition, and memory. VERDICT This is a wistful, tender story recommended for children who are confronting the loss or imminent loss of a loved one. A welcome addition to collections needing books on death and grief.-Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
Every morning, Grandmother says goodbye to a little girl after they walk to school--until one day, Grandmother says her final goodbye.The book's unnamed girl spends idyllic days with her grandmother from China, learning how to measure water for rice, listening to stories about China long ago, and eating pickled plums. Digital paintings in a muted palette of grays, pinks, and greens convey their quiet relationship. One day, Grandmother stops walking the girl to school and a sadness falls upon the household. Then, abruptly, Grandmother's room is empty, and "A few days later, my grandmother is buried." That night, the family follows a Chinese tradition to welcome their loved one's spirit home for a final goodbye. Quan's simple portrayal of a loving intergenerational bond draws readers in emotionally, but it lacks important details. Has the grandmother been living with the family for a long time, or was it, as the title suggests, a visit? It is unclear whether or not Grandmother fell ill, if she had dementia (she sometimes forgot her house keys), or how much time has passed between each scene. While the book is a sensitive portrayal of the death of a loved one, including an ending with closure, the story lacks contextual details, resulting in more questions.This sweet and gentle story about losing a loved one is emotionally lovely but likely to require some interpretation on the parts of caregivers. (Picture book. 4-8)

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August 1, 2018
Grades K-2 A young girl expresses love for her grandmother, who walks her to and from school, teaches her how to cook rice, and shares pickled plums and family stories. Then, one day, Grandmother is gone; a burial follows, with one final goodbye. While Mok's illustrations place this story in a western town, with characters lacking distinct racial features, there are touches of Chinese culture in the kitchen teapot, cups and spoons, and the symbol for happiness on a wall hanging. Quan's details about the final resolution, the grandmother's spirit returning to a lighted house for a final goodbye, emphasize the connection to Chinese tradition. Mok's digital illustrations have a light touch, with soft greens filling most double-page spreads until the loss, when a darkness appears. In that same gentle vein, Grandmother's passing is almost a whisper in the text and illustrations, and the lighted window on which the book ends signifies a continuing connection. Pair with The Funeral? (2018), by Matt James, for another look at the rituals of death and remembrance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)