Stepping Out with Grandma Mac

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. 2001. STEPPING OUT WITH GRANDMA MAC. Ill. by Angelo. New York, NY: Orchard Books. ISBN 0-531-30320-9

AWARD(S) and STARS

·         Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, 2001

·         NOTE: Nikki Grimes received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 2006

PLOT SUMMARY

Grandma Mac is introduced by her ten-year-old granddaughter in this book of poems as the young girl reminisces about the “grandma in my mind” contrasted with the strict grandmother she now knows. Understanding Grandma Mac’s strong personality is difficult for this young girl, but she begins to relate to Grandma Mac as she cleans, window-shops, eats and “steps out” with her. After a conversation with her mother, she acknowledges to herself, but not to her grandmother, that she’s just like her grandmother. Their relationship grows and she realizes through actions, smiles and unspoken admiration, Grandma Mac loves her.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Nikki Grimes tells the story of a young girl and her relationship with her grandmother in this book of 20 poems. She artfully uses each stand alone poem to relate a story about love and connection. In two of the poems, Grimes shares bits of Grandma Mac’s history and African-American culture using phrases such as, “slid through the Depression on elbow grease” and “Grandma’s cooking shows off her Southern side: yams, crab cakes, mustard greens –.” Those who have dealt with a tough grandma or loved one will be able to relate to the emotions captured in each poem.

Angelo’s seven realistic pencil drawings beautifully complement Grimes’ poems. Two of which bring to life the character of Grandma Mac and her granddaughter. For “Grandma’s Child,” the attitudes of the two are well-depicted in the illustration where they’re standing back-to-back with crossed arms looking over their shoulders. The other five illustrations, represented in fine details, include other possessions such as a white glove, perfume atomizer, and wig introduced in the poems.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

·          SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Grimes captures the warm, often humorous relationship between a teen and her grandmother. . . . Readers who might be reluctant to enjoy poetry will find the size of the book manageable and the style of writing easy to understand. A rewarding poetry experience.”

·         BOOKLIST – “The touching poems will leave readers thinking about love not spoken, the spaces between the words.”

CONNECTIONS

·         At her website http://www.nikkigrimes.com/teacher.html, Nikki Grimes offers a Teaching Guide that uses Bloom’s Taxonomy to help students relate to the book and lists Multiple Intelligences Projects. Some examples are:

o   Write a poem about your own grandparent.

o   Compare and contrast Grandma Mac with her granddaughter using a Venn diagram.

o   Write dialogue between a grandparent and grandchild.

·         Read other poetry books by Nikki Grimes:

o   MEET DANITRA BROWN, ISBN 978-0688154714

o   UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE, ISBN 0688159990

o   IS IT FAR TO ZANZIBAR?, ISBN 978-0-688-13157-9

·         Use this book, STEPPING OUT WITH GRANDMA MAC, and other poetry books during African American History month celebrating the culture.

o   PASS IT ON: AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY FOR CHILDREN by Wade Hudson, ISBN 978-0590457705

o   SPIN A SOFT BLACK SONG: POEMS FOR CHILDREN by Nikki Giovanni, ISBN 978-0374464691

o   JAZZ by Walter Dean Meyers, ISBN 978-0823421732