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Joy ISBN: 9780711242555
Averiss, Corrinne and Follath, Isabelle
Published by Quarto, 2018
Fern loves her Nanna dearly. She loves her butterfly cakes, her mice figures on the mantle, and her cat, Snowball. But most of all she loves Nanna’s happy smile. But recently, Nanna hasn’t been smiling, and she doesn’t bake cakes any more. The careful lookers amongst us will note there is a wheelchair in Nanna’s sitting room, and Nanna herself is sitting in an armchair wrapped in a blanket. What is wrong, asks, Fern. Mum explains, ‘It’s like the joy has gone out of her life.’ We don’t know what has caused the necessity for the wheelchair, but Nanna looks depressed and unhappy. Fern wants to bring the joy back to Nanna and looks for ways to help, ways to give Nanna back the ‘whoosh’ into her life. Whoosh moments are hard to come by, though, as Fern discovers. You can’t ‘catch them’ in a tin or a bag or a box. The bounce of a little dog, or the chuckle of a baby or the sparkle on water can’t be captured physically. It is when Fern goes home and tells Nanna all about the things she has seen in the park that Nanna tells her that she is the person who brings joy to her life, and the well-loved smile comes back. With Fern’s help, Nanna learns to enjoy life in her wheelchair, and she makes cakes again too! Sensitive and caring, this story about the relationship between a little girl and her grandmother is special indeed in both word and picture.
Age: 3+