Jean Reidy

“A kaleidoscope of family fun swirls through A Grand Day, a lively grandparentstravaganza of cuddles, laughter and imagination.

In rhyming text, Jean Reidy salutes the magic of days spent with grandparents. She begins with cheery let’s-go-have-fun hugs, then progresses through a range of shared activities. The possibilities are creative (chalk painting, gardening, baking), athletic (yoga, cartwheels, dancing) and even a little mystical (magic tricks, attic expeditions, a starlit campfire). Reidy spotlights lower-energy pursuits for more laidback types, too, such as relaxing by a pond, reading and napping—crucial recharging for marshmallow-toasting time!

Illustrator Samantha Cotteril’s fascinatingly detailed and immersive 3-D artwork offers a dazzling array of elements that will reward repeat reads. Every page has a dioramic vibe, with impressively engineered cut-paper sculptures that range from massive trees to minuscule sticks of sidewalk chalk. There are patterns and textures galore, and loads of depth and color. You’ll marvel at intricate wallpaper, wooden benches, hungry cardinals descending on a bird feeder and more.

Throughout the book, characters revel in sharing their favorite endeavors, highlighting the importance of learning from one another: ‘Try a two-step, maybe ten. / All that’s old . . . is new again.’ Vibrant elements of nature appear on every page, with sheltering trees, a backyard garden or a pond dotted with lily pads paying homage to the wider cycle of life. Reidy’s text encourage appreciation and contemplation of the world around us: ‘Salute the sun. / Soak in the breeze.’

A Grand Day is a visual feast of a book that will inspire readers to cherish hugs, kisses and time spent with people they love. “

“’A million kisses!/ Hugs! Hooray!/ Our grand day/ begins this way.’ Sidewalk chalk art, baking, reading, and dress-up—there’s no limit to the fun that can be had with grandparents, suggest Reidy’s declarative couplets and Cotterill’s distinctive hand-built, three-dimensional sets captured in brightly lit photographs. Featuring multiple families of varying skin tones, the dollhouse-like scenes burst with an animated energy, loosely organized to map the contour of an active day out, from morning greetings to bedtime stories. The theme of connection powers both text and image as depicted in a candid family shot of children, including one using a wheelchair, gleefully roasting marshmallows with their grandparents: ‘Eyes so bright and smiles aglow./ Laughs like someone else we know./ Family ties so strong and true.// Part of me/ is part of you.’ While Reidy’s chipper rhymes provide a page-turning pace, it’s Cotterill’s crafty visuals that make this book stand out.”

“Reidy’s energetic, rhyming verse celebrates the special relationship between a child and their grandparents, while Cotterill’s accompanying vivid diorama illustrations joyfully depict many types of intergenerational relationships. It’s a perfect marriage of story and illustration.”