Book Review : My Two Great Grandmothers

Indian Moms Connect reviews our book ‘My Two Great-Grandmothers’ written and illustrated by Lisa Aisato N’jie Solberg.

Via India Moms Connect

My Two Great-Grandmothers by Lisa Aisato is a story about a little girl who has two very different great-grandmothers. One is from Gambia and one is from Norway. Both the great-grandmothers live in different parts of the world. While the girl has met up with her Norwegian great-grandmother occasionally, she has never met her Gambian great-grandmother.

To be really honest, I don’t think the book has anything like a concrete story, but there is a gentle flow of events and incidents in the book which make it very readable. Lovely incidents like the Norwegian great grandmother telling stories to the little girl about her young, interspaced with hummable songs, or the telephone conversation with of the Gambian great-grandmother with the little girl, give us a feeling of warmth.

What we liked about the book

1. Its a lovely way to introduce children to different cultures and countries of the world

2. Since the girl’s father is from Gambia and mother is from Norway, it gives the subtle message of positivity about inter racial marriages

3. The gentle pace of the book coupled with specific incidents make the book a reverting read

4. The illustrations are very eye catching and enhance the storyline in a positive manner

5. The introduction of the concept of death in the book. I think its very important for children to understand that no one lives forever,but introducing them to the concept of death is often a very difficult task. This book introduces the concept of moving on in a wonderful way and something I think will help children understand the concept of death.

All in all, definitely a wonderful book to read, and a totally new concept from Pratham Books. Much recommended.

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