26 January 2023 GRANNY AND BEAN by Karen Hesse and Charlotte Voake, ill., Candlewick, January 2023, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-5362-1404-8

“The beach is where a kid can be a kid, enjoy nature and get to know our majestic Blue Planet up close and in person. Teaching children about Mother Nature when they are young encourages them to appreciate and understand the importance of taking care of our fragile ecosystem.”

– Debi DiNatale, mycarolinabeachhouse.com

“Little pebble upon the sand

Now you're lying here in my hand,

How many years have you been here?”

– Donovan “Happiness Runs” (1969)

“The wild waves crashed 

and scuttered and reached

‘til they wet Granny’s toes

and made Bean screech.

Their laughter rose; full of joy, it spilled

‘cross sand, through mist,

as the curlews trilled.”

For many kids lucky enough to live near the seashore, the beach is their favorite playground. What’s better than digging one’s toes into the warm sand, splashing around and cooling off in the salty water, and collecting pretty shells and stones. It’s a fact that there is no place in the world where a sandwich and lemonade taste better. 

Exuberant poetry, rich vocabulary, and evocative illustrations of a drizzly, fun-filled day at the beach, make GRANNY AND BEAN a beautiful and engaging picture book for young children. 

“They sang as they went.

They crouched to greet dogs.

They skirted a fence.

They leapt over logs.”

Newbery medalist and MacArthur Fellow Karen Hesse has been crafting award-winning books for young people since today’s moms and dads were kids sitting at circle time and checking books out of the school library. Likewise, Nestlé Smarties Book Prize-winning illustrator Charlotte Voake’s mixed-media illustrations will be familiar to many parents. Together, this dynamic duo have created a bouncy, rhyming tale about a day at the seashore with grandma that will have children tugging on parents’ and grandparents’ sleeves, and asking “please” for a day at the beach.

Ms. Voake employs a palette of grays, browns, and grayish blues to depict the natural scenery as well as a lighthouse and a distant sailboat. Against this backdrop, Granny and Bean stand out with their bright, primary-colored attire.

A lovely day was had by all, (including the gulls and dogs).

Richie Partington, MLIS

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