Booklists

CCBC Review:

“On the steps of a house at the end of the street …” A patterned text begins with a series of vignettes in which Becca wants to be “just like Grandma.” She watches Grandma bead, dance, and paint, asking each time if she can join in. “Together they bead … flutter like the most beautiful butterflies … paint …” Each activity ends when Grandpa calls them in to eat: corn soup, fried chicken, pancakes. At the powwow, it’s beans and fry bread after Grandma dances Fancy Shawl and wins the grand prize. A reversal in the story comes with Grandma watching Becca practice basketball. She wants to be “just like Becca,” and together they shoot hoops “until Grandpa calls them in for to:kic and white bread.” When Becca makes the team, the three go out for pepperoni pizza to celebrate. “On the steps of a house at the end of the street Becca knows that she is just like Grandma … And Grandma knows that she is just like Becca.” The emotion is palpable in this lyrical, wonderfully paced picture book. The narrative and muted, warm-hued illustrations work together to convey details of this contemporary Wichita family’s life and love. The author (Wichita and Affiliated Tribes) includes a note about her own grandparents and a glossary; the illustrator (Swampy Cree/Métis) includes information on the importance of beadwork in Native cultures historically and today. Winner, 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center 

Illustrated by Julie Flett

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Families First/Native Nations Grandfathers Grandmothers Wichita People
Diversity subject: Indigenous

Publishers: HarperCollins, Heartdrum
Publish Year: 2023
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780063049246
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Rogers

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