I'M GOING TO GRANDMA'S

Why is this visit to Grandma's different from all other visits? Because the young pigtailed narrator is "not only going/ to stay for the day/ I'm going to stay/ for the night!" The house holds a host of pleasures, from dressing up in an old wedding gown to hearing Grandpa play " 'Three Blind Mice' on his musical saw." And when night falls, and the girl's anxieties about being away from home bubble up, Grandma knows exactly how to make it "all/ be all right," telling her granddaughter family stories connected with the patchwork quilt that covers the girl's bed. That night, the child has sweet dreams: "I dream I am making a quilt of my own/ and my dreams keep me cozy all night." Hoberman (One of Each) varies the rhyme scheme just enough to keep a lilt going and to convey the charms of this warm familial circle. Beeke's (Fletcher and the Falling Leaves) idyllic depiction of senior living may strike some youngsters as fantasy. Grandma and Grandpa live in a bona fide cottage with nary a TV in sight, and Grandma wears an ensemble that recalls Raggedy Ann (complete with red striped stockings). No matter: the grandparents' doting feels utterly real, as does the comfort and security that the girl draws from their presence. Even readers with the hippest urban grandparents may well find this as satisfying as a plateful of warm, homemade cookies.