Maya longs to see her grandmother, but when Grandma arrives from far
away for a visit, she is not quite what Maya expected.
When Maya's grandma makes a surprise visit from thousands of miles away,
Maya is delighted. But her excitement doesn't last long. When Grandma
picks her up from school, she wears fancy clothes and talks too loudly.
Grandma's morning prayer bells wake Maya up, and she cooks with
ingredients Maya doesn't usually eat. Plus, Maya thinks cupcakes taste
better than Grandma's homemade sweets.
Maya and Grandma try to compromise, and on a special trip to the island
Grandma even wears an "all-American" baseball cap. But when Maya rushes
off to find the carousel, she loses sight of her mother, father and
grandmother. She is alone in a sea of people ... until she spots
something bobbing above the crowd, and right away she knows how to find
her way.
Saumiya Balasubramaniam's story is an insightful and endearing portrayal
of a grandparent-grandchild relationship that is evolving and deeply
loving, as Maya and Grandma navigate cross-cultural contexts and
generational differences. Qin Leng's sweet, evocative illustrations
complement the story and illuminate Grandma and Maya's growing
closeness.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or
appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in
stories.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the
beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including
by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading
dialogue aloud.
