by Nadia L Hohn (Author) Temika Grooms (Illustrator)
No one knows maps like Nikki -- but can she get her family to Grandma's house in time?
Nikki's family is preparing for a long road trip from Toronto to the Bronx to attend Uncle Travis's wedding. They pack their suitcases, boxes of Jamaican black cake, and most importantly to Nikki, the big map book!
Nikki loves geography and enjoys tracing the routes to all the places her relatives live -- her Grandpa in Florida, her cousins in Atlanta, DC, and Boston. She daydreams of England, where other family lives, and Jamaica and Africa, where her roots run deep.
Her attention comes back to the road trip when it's clear that Daddy's taken a wrong turn. "I can help!" says Nikki, who proves to be an excellent navigator. She guides them back to the Bronx Expressway, under the elevated subway tracks, onto a street of brown row houses and safely to Grandma's.
Inspired by the childhoods of author Nadia L. Hohn and illustrator TeMika Grooms, Getting Us to Grandma's is full of fun historic details -- a world before Google Maps! -- and authentic cultural moments shared by diasporic families, whose stories can be traced across continents. A fantastic representation of Black girls in STEM.
Key Text Features
Illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
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K-Gr 2--A young Black girl and her family travel to New York City from Toronto for a family wedding in the early 1980s. The family relies on a road atlas to make their way. Nikki is anxious to follow the route, but her older brother has a firm grip on the atlas. Gazing out the window, Nikki reflects on the global connections that are part of her family, with roots in Africa, Jamaica, and beyond. Eventually, everyone but Nikki and her father fall asleep, and as they near New York City, Nikki helps her father when he misses his exit. This is a pleasant reminiscence more than a story. The illustrator makes the most of familiar road trip sights with shifts in lighting, perspective, and scenery. VERDICT An affirming family story featuring a smart young woman showing off her solid map skills.--John Scott
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
The paint-like artwork adds an element of a classic picture book feel to a story not seen often. — Canadian Children's Book News