Nonna's Porch. This item is unavailable.Nonna's Porch

"Nonna's porch is very still," blessed with the quietude of nature. All of that changes when the sounds of grandchildren burst onto the scene, disrupting the serenity and sending the animals running. But Nonna is able to restore harmony to her home by knitting a wonder-filled blanket for her grandchild, inspired by the beautiful vistas around her. In Nonna's Porch, Rita Gray's verse and Terry Widener's vivacious art compose a peaceful refrain for life, laughter, and love.

PreSchool-Grade 2–Gray captures the sights and sounds of an idyllic summer day in the country. Nonna holds the central place in the activities as she rocks on her porch and knits a blanket that incorporates scenes from her surroundings. A singing cardinal, a munching fawn, and a chattering chipmunk add their noises to the click of her knitting needles. Her grandchildren prove more boisterous. Shucking corn, dashing through water from the hose, and mixing lemonade, they thoroughly enjoy the time they spend together. The use of different sizes and colors of type to emphasize the sounds adds visual appeal to the aural interest. Most text pages include a smaller painting that relates to the larger illustration opposite. Widener's exuberant acrylics make the people and experiences larger than life. As Nonna rocks the narrator to sleep under the finished blanket, her sturdy strength and calm recall the work of Mexican muralists. Readers can imagine this kind of day in whatever season they find themselves.–Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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