Mixed-Up Grandmas

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

One young boy has two very different grandmothers. Chocolate Chip
Grandma is fat, warm, and loves to cook. When the boy visits his
Chocolate Chip Grandma, he helps her bake cookies and cakes. His other
grandmother, Baseball Grandma, is skinny, rides a skateboard, and always
wants to go outside and play sports. One day, Baseball Grandma falls off
her skateboard and breaks her arm. The doctor orders her to stay inside
until she gets better. Chocolate Chip Grandma also had to visit the
doctor. He ordered her to quit baking goodies and to get some exercise.
Both grandmothers want the boy to stay with them. “You’ll have to
take turns,” he yells after they both start tugging on his arms. The
grandmothers realize that because their needs are equal, they will have
to learn to share. The results surprise all three of them.

Although sharing is a much bludgeoned theme in many children’s books,
this story has a neat twist for young readers because the adults are
taught to share by a wise little child. The two very different kinds of
grandmothers are also a pleasant break from tradition. The illustrator
makes one minor mistake when Baseball Grandma is depicted nursing a
broken arm on one page, but using both arms to grab her grandson in the
next. Recommended.