Whizz! Pop! Granny, Stop!

PreS-Gr 2—The cauldron-carrying witch from Hubble Bubble, Granny Trouble (Candlewick, 2012) returns in this warmhearted tale. Corderoy's witty rhyming text details Granny's helpful, but atypical, way of coming to her granddaughter's rescue. From improving a ballet class to cleaning up after a pet bunny, she tends to use magic to create more problems than she solves. When it's time to plan the narrator's birthday party, the youngster pleads with her grandmother to bake a cake, sew a dress, and celebrate the day "spell-free." However, after the successful bash, the little girl doesn't mind when Granny uses a supersonic mop to clean up and to present her with a final birthday surprise ("Whizz! Pop!"). Berger's ink, brush-pen, and digital illustrations pop with swirls of hot pink, purple, orange, and black, creating electric visual details. Hilarious drawings of Granny's familiars and "Helping Kit" litter the pages. This amusing intergenerational read-aloud will make an entertaining addition to Halloween and Grandparents' Day storytimes.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI