Book Description Review “This incredibly tender story packs a lifetime’s worth of emotion into 40 pages, from the subtly tragic opening to the buoyant love between May and Grama to the heart-wrenching―and ultimately happy―ending.” —Booklist, starred review“Nielander creates a lovely story focused on a girl in STEM and the family who supports her… Heartwarming and encouraging for both children and adults.” –Kirkus Reviews“[T]here is much loveliness in this intergenerational relationship, which hints at change’s effect on both child and caretaker.” —Publishers Weekly Read more About the Author Amy Nielander graduated from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit and has worked as a product designer and digital sculptor in the automotive industry. Her debut book, The Ladybug Race (PomegranateKids), was a finalist in the Silent Book Contest in 2014 and won the IPPY Bronze Medal Book Award in 2017. Read more Customers Review: This is an intergenerational story featuring a young girl, May and Grama. Their relationship is built on love and hugs. When May heads off to Kindergarten, it is Grama’s hugs that give her the confidence to set off on the new adventure by herself. As May grows, so does her love of bigger adventures – flying and space. Grama is always there to support May as she pursues her STEM dreams. This sweet story pulls at the reader’s heartstrings reminding all of us to savor the small moments, remember to encourage dreams – both big and small – to be pursued, and to never leave without a hug.
GRAMA’S HUG is a warm celebration of the love between a grandmother and her granddaughter. They do everything together and vow to never part without a hug. This lovely story certainly tugged on this grandma’s heartstrings. STEM, girl power, and super sweet illustrations. I highly recommend this book!
I was so excited to get this book. I am a new grandma and am really loving this role in life! So, when i saw this was about Grama’s hugs I was thrilled. It would be a book I could read to my grandson! Yet, it isn’t. The 2 pages were great — granddaughter was hanging out with grandma for the summer. I could see that in my life! And then the book takes a dark turn — the granddaughter comes to live with grandma. And I didn’t like that at all. What happened to her parents? I can’t read this to my grandson. All I can think about is that if he came to live with me my daughter and son-in-law must have died. And I don’t like that thought. The illustrations are cute. And the granddaughter — I sure like her personality and how she is drawn. The pictures are the best part of this book. But despite the negative thing I just mentioned the story just isn’t engaging and it makes no sense at all. I mean it does but there is something missing. I know it is about grama’s hugs and the little girl needs a hug at the end before she goes into space, but this book is so lacking in a story line. This book falls short.
This is a book about the strong loving relationship between May and her Grandma delivered in a sweet and relatable way. It is beautifully illustrated with tons of color from edge to edge. There was a lot to look at on each page, explore, and discuss.Story in short: May and her Grandma spend a lot of time together having fun and adventures and always part with a hug. May wins her school’s space fair every year and ends up going to space camp to become an astronaut. Before her big space trip, she is excited but refuses to launch into space without a hug from Grandma first.This was a great read for my preschooler and first grader. And the reading level is probably around those age groups. My first grader can read the entire book herself.Nice secondary message that kids (and little girls) can aspire and excel at school and in science…
Delightful and heartwarming, Grama’s Hug is not just for grandparents but for all the caregivers committed to unconditional love. With detail-packed illustrations, Amy Nielander exectues with both words and art the concept of selflessly loving a child and being there to help him/her meeting great life successes, even at the cost of heartbreaking separations. This book will touch the heart to many children and families living difficult situations. It gives hope and reminds us that everything is possible with love. A must have for libraries and home shelves, Grama’s Hug has a STEM approach that cover one of the most loved subjects: space. Appropriate for ages 1-100. Brilliant.
I was initially drawn into GRAMA’S HUG by the illustrations. Not only are they adorable, but they deepen the emotion of the story in more detail with every read. This is a STEM based tale of a little girl and her grandmother who have an unwritten pact to never part without a hug. After little milestones (a sleepover), they hug. Departing on a big milestone (first day of school), they hug. Then one day May is invited to join a space launch mission. She is so excited when she arrives that she takes off forgetting her hug. Thankfully she sets everything straight before her biggest milestone yet.
The illustrations in Grama’s hug are warm and kid centric but also contain a flair of elegance that makes the book a joy to read. Grama encourages May’s imagination and goes to great lengths to “play” like a child. This part of the story made me smile. It is unclear why May goes to live with Grama, but it is clear that Grama is now the guardian and their relationship changes when May starts school. The secondary level that I really enjoyed about this book was how Grama helped to cultivate May’s imagination which manifested inquisitiveness that led to her interest in the stars and being an astronaut. Beautiful book!
This picture book will tug at your heart. It is about the enduring love between a grandma and grandchild. What’s different about it is that it incorporates the child’s personality (as she is a budding scientist.) We see scene after scene of the Grandma’s encouragement of her granddaughter’s dream. She knows she is loved and encouraged to explore science and discover who she is. The illustrations are lush and beautifully further the story.What should be noted in this book is that it shows a grandma raising her grandchild. This is a reality for more and more kids so it is nice to see it come to life on the page. In addition to highlighting the family relationship, this book can even used in school to encourage children to go after their dreams in a safe environment. |
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