EIGHTEEN FLOWERS FOR GRANDMA

A child seeks the perfect gift for her grandmother’s upcoming college graduation.

To mark Sadie’s kindergarten graduation, Grandma gave her a necklace with the Hebrew word for life, transliterated as chai. Grandma explains that chai is represented by the number 18, which is considered lucky. Sadie hopes to repay the favor by giving Grandma a bouquet of 18 flowers for her own graduation. It’s the perfect gift: The two of them enjoy making art together, and Grandma especially loves creating flowers. So Sadie tries out different methods to construct her bouquet—pressing dandelions, creating flowers using cardboard and crayon—but nothing feels right. After Grandma explains why she loves flowers so much (quoting Marc Chagall, she says, “They’re life itself, in all its happy brilliance”), Sadie finds inspiration and makes the perfect bouquet. Jewish culture, specifically Ashkenazi traditions such as dancing the hora to klezmer music, imbues this straightforward story with depth. Inspired by Jewish paper-cutting folk art, White’s illustrations are soft and cozy, dominated by mossy green and beige. Swoops and strokes of color make the story feel intimate, almost like an art project itself. Grandma has white hair and pale skin, Sadie has black hair and light brown skin, and supporting characters have a variety of skin tones and hair textures.

A gentle tale of intergenerational bonding that will appeal to budding artists.