Ellie Royce (text) and Penelope Pratley (illustrator), Me and You, Ford Street Publishing, March 2025, 32 pp., RRP $27.95 (hbk), ISBN 9781922696502
This warm and gentle picture book presents a heartfelt connection between a grandmother and granddaughter. Ellie Royce’s words and Penelope Pratley’s illustration eloquently combine to create a powerful emotional connection.
Grandmother is slower, observant and shares wisdom of age, with her granddaughter. The grandmother says:-
I love the salty breeze,
Calling us to come and play while
Sunshine peeks around the cloud.
Her granddaughter responds with Me too.
It is a refrain that continues as the girl plays and explore. The granddaughter’s enthusiasm for life and exploration of her emotions, parallels her grandmother’s insights and wisdom. The words and illustrations connect significantly. Grandmother is a guide for her granddaughter. Her granddaughter’s exploration inspires her grandmother who loves the music to tap her feet.
There is a sweetness in the relationship of Me and You. The little girl waters the garden, carries the plant, digs a hole. Her grandmother puts it in the earth. Then of course the little girl jumps over the fresh plant imbedded in the soil. A perfect partnership.
There is a tender love in the family. It is a model for grandparents and their grandchildren and the genuine relationship between the generations.
Suit ages 3 to 6
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Susanne Gervay
