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When Granny Came To Stay
by Alice Pung
Illustrated by Sally Soweol Han
Published by Pan McMillan Australia
ISBN
9781760984991
In the new series called Our Stories, readers will find memorable and funny and diverse stories on First Nations lands.
Oh, the excitement when the door bell rings. Could it be that dad has brought home the new Disc Destroyer so eagerly awaited?
No, what a big surprise, it's not the latest and must have toy craze to take to school the next day, it's this little old "sultana-faced lady", called granny.
Although she knew granny was coming to stay, she didn't know it was today and what about the Disc Destroyer. We soon learn that granny has come all the way from China to look after our little story hero to help out as mum is going back to work full-time.
Another shock, although she's had to tidy up her room, now she has to share her precious space with granny!
Granny makes funny tasting and smelling food too and when she finds "chips" - not chips as we know them in her lunch box she seems mortified, but wait, her friends laugh then try them and they declare they're delicious. Suddenly and slowly a whole new perspective emerges of granny.
She realises that granny is kind, caring, loves her greatly and before long they have developed a wonderful and happy relationship. Granny even helps her make her own Destroy Disc and her friends like her too. Before long granny has to return home and she knows she'll miss her sweet granny.
This kindly story is about understanding people who are different to ourselves, people who come from different environments aren't necessarily strange or weird and that hearsay can lead to misunderstandings. When Granny Comes to Stay helps younger readers 5+ understand that just because people, or granny in this story, comes from another country, doesn't mean they're from the backwaters. It's a kindly story that will show young readers there is so much more to learn about people and to respect them.
The author, Alice Pung is an award-winning writer based in Melbourne. She is the bestselling author of the memoirs Unpolished Gem and Her Father's Daughter, and the essay collection Close to Home, as well as the editor of the anthologies Growing Up Asian in Australia and My First Lesson. Her first novel, Laurinda, won the Ethel Turner Prize at the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. One Hundred Days is her most recent novel.
This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you Liked this review - Buy me a coffee
