The Greatest

Newbery Honoree Hiranandani's picture book debut is a moving ode to family connection from the perspective of a grandfather who's perceived as both "the greatest" and "a simple, ordinary" person. The elderly man loves Sundays, when his three grandchildren come to visit--the pages highlight their interactions, the grandfather's self-perception, and the grandchildren's openhearted enthusiasm about their grandfather's artmaking, storytelling, and cooking. "Hardly the next Picasso," he says in the face of his grandchildren's appreciation; "thousands of storytellers mold the language better," and "many chefs have prepared better feasts." As time passes, the quartet engages in the everyday as well as the seasonal--at Passover, the children see their grandfather as an important leader, while he knows that "he's only leading the Seder the way his father taught him." As the family builds a sukkah in autumn, the man wonders whether he should tell his grandchildren that he's "just a regular old person," then considers the nature of love's reflection. Velvety watercolor and gouache illustrations by Stamper (Amazing Abe) capture the pale-skinned Jewish family's warmth in this demonstrative work about the expansive strength of ordinary love. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary. Illustrator's agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. (Sept.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

A joyous, sweet, and tender tale of intergenerational love.