Nana in the City
Reviewed by Sandy Hall
This story portrays such a sweet, sensitive relationship between a grandmother and her grandson. She is not too busy to truly recognize and understand his fears of all the new aspects of city life and makes him a red cape to help him be brave. What little child doesn’t feel like a superhero when wearing a cape! I, too, am a grandmother with grandsons and actually live with three of them. I remember one night during a heavy thunderstorm having one of the grandsons come tearing downstairs in great fear to me. I held him, calmed him down, talked about the storm, and got him back to bed. This book will be enjoyed by both little ones facing new circumstances as well as by grandmothers. The text is short and simple and just right for very young children. Castillo's drawings are made with thick heavy lines and then painted with watercolor. Lauren even sprinkles the paint with salt to create texture. That would be fun to try at home! She has lived in the city and loved it so her illustrations here come from personal experience. I highly recommend it. If you enjoy this book, you might also like Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena.

Read the full review on Hall's Living Library