Food, family, love, and laughter make for the perfect recipe in this sweet picture book from acclaimed author Shauntay Grant.
Taking place over the course of a summer day, we follow a young girl as she and her family gather at her nana's house for a get-together where lessons are shared, food is prepared, and lifelong memories are created. Told in African proverbs, Where There Is Love explores the importance of familial bonds and their lasting impact while presenting proverbs to inspire readers long after the story ends. Throughout the book, Nana's house provides a safe space for our protagonist to make mistakes, learn lessons, and most importantly, find and feel love. This gorgeous picture book provides that same comforting space for readers page after page.---from the publisher
32 pages 978-0593659939 Ages 4-7
Keywords: love, family, African American and Black stories, African proverbs, inspiration, connection, grandmother, mistakes, comfort, acceptance, cultural heritage, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old
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Beautifully told and illustrated with love, *Where There Is Love *follows a young girl on her visit to her Nana's (grandmother) for a large family gathering. Everyone pitches in, and Nana says, "Many hands make short work."
There's a bustle inside in the kitchen and stories and dancing outside in the yard. Nana is inspiring and full of wisdom that she passes on to her grandchild. She says, "Having a good discussion is like having riches." The girl listens intently and knows Nana's words are truth.
The author has included a map of Africa with countries identified and each proverb listed is attributed to its country of origin. This tool is excellent to introduce the continent of Africa to readers. Many adults in America probably cannot name four African countries correctly, and test scores show American children do not know much bout geography.
This little book of wisdom is a must-read for its message and its gorgeous delivery. Where There Is Love is one of my favorites for awards season. I suspect it will be on many state lists and even the ALA picture book recommendations.
Highly, highly recommended ages 2 and up.
Recommended by: Pamela Thompson McLeon, Librarian, Florida USA
See more of her recommendations: http://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/
