Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake - Hardcover

Klise, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805093133 ISBN 13: 9780805093131

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2012

Synopsis

Larry is a little lamb with a larger-than-life grandmother. She talks loudly, carries a heavy sewing machine, and has big plans to take Larry to Tanzania and the South Seas when he grows up. She even has a secret handshake. It's all too much for shy little Larry―until a summer storm blows through the Lambs' valley, and Larry finds an unlikely hero in his own family.

Kate and Sarah Klise's gentle tribute to the bond between child and grandparent reminds us that it often takes time for little ones to fall in love―even with those who love them the most. Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake is perfect for grandparents and their own little lambs.

About this title

About the Author

Kate Klise lives and writes on her forty-acre farm in a valley north of Norwood, Missouri.

M. Sarah Klise draws and paints out of her studio in Berkeley, California.

Kate and Sarah are sisters who have collaborated on illustrated novels for children as well as picture books, including Shall I Knit You a Hat? and Why Do You Cry?

From School Library Journal

PreS-K-The artwork is the strength of this selection. Created with acrylics in soft earth tones, the images of a young lamb and his family at home and about town with a bevy of other critters are absolutely adorable. The story does not have the same intense appeal. Larry thinks Grammy Lamby is annoying and rejects her gentle efforts to bond with him via a "secret handshake" when she visits. She appears to be a traditional grandmother, drinking tea and sewing, but she springs into action after a storm and helps repair the roof of her family's home, assists with rebuilding a school and church, and sets up her sewing machine in the town square to make items for those in need. This all sounds exciting, but the text lacks sufficient development to avoid an odd, albeit unintended, implication. It's only after Grammy has performed these feats that Larry warms up to her, so the takeaway seems to be that it requires extraordinary measures to gain another's affection and admiration (when everyday demonstrations of love should be enough). The jacket synopsis touts the story as an example of the time it takes for "little ones to fall in love." The illustrations are lovely; the story is a misfire.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, ARα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0805093133
• ISBN 13: 9780805093131
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Klise Kate, Klise M. Sarah