Judith Kerr’s beautiful illustrations formed the backdrop to my child hood. I was delighted to see she had a new book out especially one with such lovely characters and whimsical illustrations.
The Great Granny Gang is delightful and will capture young children’s imaginations. The world can be a frightening place, especially if you watch the news. The idea of an elite force of grannies who will protect the world from dangerous hoodies is very appealing. Who else would protect us from nefarious cake thieves but a group of grannies, who will then be able to bake you some more cakes afterwards.
I love the fact this book tackles the ageist assumption that old people should be pushed to the sidelines and forgotten. I think a relationship with your grandparents is really important and one of the big advantages of this current generation where people are living longer. Older people should be respected and treated well and although this book is funny perhaps it will encourage that viewpoint even more.
The best thing about the book is of course the pictures. The big cats have the same friendly faces you will remember from The Tiger Who came to Tea. We also loved spotting the cats throughout – they look so much like Mog. This shows that while Judith Kerr has turned her attention to grannies she has not forgotten her first love – cats!
I love watching author’s talk about their books. here is Judith Kerr explaining why her new book is inspired by Grannies.
Disclaimer: We were sent a copy of this book to review.