Stepping Out with Grandma Mac
Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by Angelo
Grimes captures the warm, often humorous relationship between a teen and her grandmother. Twenty poems speak to a variety of themes: shared shopping trips, cleaning standards, etiquette, Grandma’s gloves. Simple metaphors and carefully chosen vocabulary make these selections read more like conversations than formal poems. Some are embellished with large, realistic black-and-white pencil drawings, including one of the African-American grandmother and granddaughter standing back-to-back, arms folded (“With Grandma Mac/I’ve pretty much got/My hands full”). Readers who might be reluctant to enjoy poetry will find the size of the book manageable and the style of writing easy to understand. A rewarding poetry experience.
