(NOTE: I was given a copy of this book to review but all opinions are my own.)
Hugging my grandchildren is one of the best things ever. I bet that other grandmothers feel the same. So the book Grama’s Hug by Amy Nielander was especially appealing to me.
May loves visiting her Grama and watching the stars together. I loved this illustration because I, too, have gotten big boxes for my grandkids to play in!
Then, May comes to live with Grama. (The book never explains why . . . )
When May entered preschool, May was scared. But Grama gave her a big, encouraging hug. (In fact, they never ever say good-bye without a hug!)
May and Grama do lots of things together like riding bikes and watching birds.
Every year during elementary school, May enters the science fair and every year she wins first place.
In the fifth grade, May is chosen to go to a month-long space camp. Of course Grama gave May a big hug before she left.
While May was busy at camp, Grama’s days were long and lonely. (I loved this illustration because of the stool in the bottom right-hand corner. My parents had a stool exactly like this while I was growing up!)
May was chosen to be the youngest astronaut ever. But of course she couldn’t go into outer space without getting a hug from Grama first!
Huzzah for hugs from Grama!
This is a great book for several reasons. It shows how loving and supporting the grandmother is. The grandmother does all she can to help her granddaughter grow and develop.
It shows that even though a girl doesn’t first succeed, she keeps on trying. She doesn’t give up.
While this story focuses on the fact that a girl can become an astronaut, the broader scope of the book is that it supports STEM activities.
STEM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Many girls shy away from taking those types of classes in school and from going into a career needing knowledge in those areas.
Which is a shame.
Which is why this book is so wonderful.
This book shows a girl growing and developing STEM skills and knowledge. It shows a girl that succeeds in those areas. It shows a girl being an astronaut — which isn’t something that very many girls dream of doing.
When grandmothers read this picture book to their granddaughters, they are planting the idea early in their granddaughters’ lives that girls CAN learn technology. Girls ARE smart in science and mathematics. Girls CAN succeed in doing difficult things.
I highly suggest that grandmothers get this picture book to read to granddaughters. And have those conversations that encourage granddaughters in STEM activities. (Grandmothers can have those encouraging conversations with older granddaughters, too!)
You can get Grama’s Hug on Amazon for $13.
