Grandpa Max's Wurst

K-Gr 2—Hans doesn't like change, and he is being forced to deal with his only friend, Ben, moving out of the German countryside into Munich. His grandfather doesn't like change either; he insists on making bratwursts the traditional way, although his business is failing. The store finally gathers a following, and Grandpa Max begrudgingly makes changes to accommodate his new customers. As a story, the book feels flat, as it takes large blocks of text to relate the simple narrative. It might have some use as an educational aide, as there are notes sprinkled throughout. The last two spreads give a little more background about the culture and history of Germany, but two of those pages are devoted solely to beer and beer festivals. Um, wasn't this book supposed to be about sausage? Tessman's stylized mixed-media artwork is comprised of found objects with traditional black outlines to help define the characters. Although her style is impressive, it feels out of place as the characters can at times look a bit off-putting.