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It looks like it could be a surprise. Lots of things that
come in a sack that size are good things. Maybe it’s a doll
or a truck or a bar of chocolate. Maybe it’s a whistle or a
puzzle. Or maybe, as in the new book Grandma’s Purse
by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, it’s a whole lot more than
that...
Here’s some good news: Grandma Mimi is coming to visit!
She gives the best hugs. She always has “treasures” to
share, and every one of them hides in the bottom of her
purse. When she’s around, you can barely stop looking at
that purse. It’s “full of some magical things.” It’s full of
what makes Mimi, Mimi.
Once you’ve gotten your hug and Mimi’s comfortable on the
sofa, you can ask politely to see what’s inside that magical
purse. It’s going to be something great. Or maybe it’ll be
something useful. Or maybe something silly.
“You never know what you’ll want to have with you!” says
Mimi.
For instance, she keeps a mirror in there, and a lipstick so
she’s ready to leave kisses all over your cheeks. She needs
her “smell-good,” so you know she’s been in your living room
long after she leaves. Mimi always carries an second pair of
earrings because any time might be time to look
“extra-fancy.” There are hairpins in her purse, so she
always looks put together, and a coin purse that Grandpa
brought her from an overseas country far, far away. The coin
purse reminds her of Grandpa. There’s candy, because she
never knows who might be hungry. Her phone and her glasses
are there; so is a scarf to keep her warm and a long line of
pictures protected in plastic. It’s almost like Mimi carries
everything!
Lucky for you that she sometimes doesn’t mind if you play
with her things. When you put on her lipstick, her
“smell-good,” her scarf, and her glasses, well, look at you:
you could almost be Mimi.
But wait.
What’s that in the bottom of Mimi’s purse?
What could it be?
Rare is the big girl who doesn’t remember being a little
girl with a fascination for an elder’s handbag. All those
memories will rush forth when you see what
author-illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton has in store for
your little one in Grandma’s Purse.
Beginning with the joyous cover, you know you’re in for a
book that tells a story by picture alone. Indeed, when your
child picks up this book to pretend-read it, she’ll easily
know what’s going on by Brantley-Newton’s artwork.
Even so, you’ll want to read this one aloud. Not only is it
a story of being silly, being surprised, and being loved
between generations, but it’s also just generally one that
purse-loving, surprise-loving girls will appreciate, no
matter what their ages.
Surely, then, your child will love Grandma’s Purse
almost as much as she loves to rummage through a handbag.
For that three-to-six-year-old and this book, the fun’s in
the bag.
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