George loves the time he spends with Grandma Stella each Saturday. Together they do all sorts of wonderful things, like ninja tournaments, video games (while wearing space helmets!), gardening, reading George’s favorite books, and making cinnamon rolls. But one Saturday morning, as George gets ready for his day with Grandma Stella, he finds his parents crying in the kitchen. His father explains why—Grandma Stella has passed away. George tries to cope but in his grief crosses off all the Saturdays on his calendar. Then one day, a new Stella arrives—George’s baby sister. “Now George doesn’t have time to be sad on Saturdays” because he can spend the day with Baby Stella doing the things he loved to do with Grandma Stella. Ryan’s cute illustrations enliven the story and the sweet relationships portrayed, and Wellins beautifully shares the fantastic relationship George and Grandma Stella have. The loss of Grandma Stella tugs at the heartstrings and resonates with any readers who have also lost loved ones. George’s passing on Grandma Stella’s love to Baby Stella by sharing some of the same activities he and Grandma Stella enjoyed is a tender depiction of the significance of remembering loved ones by cherishing and honoring their life and traditions.
The “Heartstrings” badge is awarded to books that provoke an exceptionally tender emotional response.
Families are unique and have different expectations for the books they choose to read. The following are concepts included in this book that some parents may wish to seek out or avoid.
Note that this list is not exhaustive and there may be concepts in this book that are not included or have been insufficiently or incorrectly detailed here.
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