Grandma U

by Jeanie Franz Ransom

Molly McCool, finding out that she will be a grandmother for the first time, signs up for classes at Grandma University but doesn't understand when the teacher says the students already know the most important thing of all.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Jeanie Franz Ransom is a children's picture-book author and former elementary school counselor with a penchant for puns and a fondness for fractured fairytales. Her books include the award-winning "What Really Happened to Humpty?" and "The Crown Affair," and her newest title, "Cowboy Car."

Jeanie also writes self-help books for kids and the adults in their lives, including "Don't Squeal Unless It's' a Big Deal: A Tale of Tattletales," "Big Red and the Little Bitty Wolf: A Story About Bullying," and "There's a Cat in Our Class: A Tale About Getting Along."

Jeanie divides her time between St. Louis, MO, and Northport, MI, and is a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and conferences. To et updates on Jeanie's books and special events, follow her on Facebook.com/JeanieRansomAuthor, or visit www.jeanieransom.com..

Reviews

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is dedicated to Dame Helen Hackett, my grandma, and the true feminist force of my own life. She never needed a Grandma "University" to know how to be a caring, devoted grandmother. She just knew!
And this is what granny to be Molly could be learning in this witty book. Molly is a sweetheart with zero cookie baking expertise. IE: her cookies look and taste like moon rocks, the type even Neil Armstrong wouldn't take back to earth! She figures she needs to be properly trained in the art of grandmothering, and the place to be is Grandma University, Grandma U, where the valedictorian become Victorian...or something like that. Molly and her same-age school buds learn how the granny thing is done, using a toy baby doll as a teaching prop. Degrading, yes, and some educators still use these tactics to weaken their students into submission, and let's not forget they also use a hard boiled egg. Only in fiction like this book can this method be effective. Molly is told by the teacher that one important thing about being a grandma is the one thing they cannot teach, the one you have to figure out yourself. "Which is what?" Molly asks, to which the reply, as always in other classic stories of education, is thus: "You'll see." She will see, just as a lot of us are made to see and already know: LOVE, PERIOD, IS THE BEST THING! Cool story to share with kids, and kids will want to remember what's in this book, fifty years down the line. I hope they make it. The 22 century needs good grandmas!
Four stars
Grandma, U R Awesome!!!

[Sarah Huff]

This book was very entertaining. I loved the idea of a grandma university to teach grandmas how to be proper grandmas. I also enjoyed that at the beginning the professor at Grandma U, Mrs. Applebee, talked about the most important part of being a grandma but she never told the class what it is. During every class Molly, the main character, would wonder if what they were learning was the most important part of being a grandma. There was a question and cliff hanger through out the book and it was finally resolved at the end. It taught that somethings in life we will be worried and scared but most things will come naturally and all we have to do is have faith in ourselves.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great info.