The Care and Keeping of Grandmas

Written by Jennifer Mook-Sang

Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang

Tundra Books

978-0-‎7352-7134-0

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

April  2023

 

Many children will be spending time with grandparents this summer when their parents are busy working. It'll be a special time for many of them, being nurtured and loved and experiencing new learning. But when a grandparent moves in with a family that nurturing can go both ways, as both child and grandparent spend time together. Jennifer Mook-Sang's story is all about that special and tender relationship that comes when a grandmother comes to live with her granddaughter's family.

From The Care and Keeping of Grandmas, written by Jennifer Mook-Sang, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Like the plants her grandma brings with her, a little girl tries to make her grandmother comfortable. After all, adapting to new surroundings can be a little tough at first. And this child is all about making her feel at home. She makes sure she knows where everything is and helps her make her room her own. It takes time to adjust to new routines and new surroundings and the child makes sure her grandmother has what she needs. 

From The Care and Keeping of Grandmas, written by Jennifer Mook-Sang, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

As her grandmother tends to her plants, ensuring they have light and food and water, the child  ensures her grandmother gets what she needs too. It might be noise-cancelling headphones or a playful water fight, but the child watches out for her. Sometimes both grandma and plant struggle, whether wilting from the stresses of the environment or their new circumstances. But love and attention can make it all better. Then the new place becomes home where they belong and fit in and even thrive.

From The Care and Keeping of Grandmas, written by Jennifer Mook-Sang, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Not all young children are fortunate enough to have an elder move in with them but, though it may be a difficult transition for all concerned, just as it is with transplanting a plant to a new pot or flower bed, it can be incredibly rewarding. I don't know if Jennifer Mook-Sang has ever had a grandmother move in with her family but the openness of her story to the fullness of that intergenerational relationship and the richness of the new circumstances is certainly revealing. Told with much affection and patience, The Care and Keeping of Grandmas is all about making it right for the grandmother, not expecting her to just fit into their situation. The child's understanding of the difficulties and challenges of adapting to a new situation is filled with compassion, and I suspect it is the reason that her grandma eventually finds her place with them. 

Even though there are challenges, illustrator Yong Ling Kang keeps the lightness of Jennifer Mook-Sang's story with her watercolour and pencil artwork. Whether it's the freshness of the plants growing inside or out, or the colourful clothes which they wear, or the scenes of markets and kitchens and bedrooms, Yong Ling Kang keeps everything lively, even if subdued, and bright without being too bold. Her artwork is so reflective of an elder whose life is slowing down a bit and a child who is keeping pace with her to help her fit in.

Transitioning to a new living situation is difficult at the best of times but imagine how difficult it might be when giving up your own home to share one with your younger family. The adjustment would be great and not always successful, as one plant discovers, but with love and time much can be resolved. Ultimately, Jennifer Mook-Sang and Yong Ling Kang show us that this grandma, like many of her plants, will be just fine, perhaps even flourishing.