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Encyclopedia of Grannies
A funny and eye-catching picture book, celebrating grannies of all shapes and sizes, and what makes them tick.
Why do grandmas tell us to speak slowly? Why do grandmas wear their hair up? Are grandmas flexible? How do you cheer up a grandma? And why do they always have creases on their faces?
Children have lots of questions about grannies and Éric Veillé sets out to answer them all with humor and charm in this contemporary picture book for the extended family – how they wear their hair, how they do yoga, how they travel the world, their wise sayings, their knitting.
Each page is dedicated to a quirky topic and combines to make a highly original encyclopedia for children; from buses – no one knows where grannies go – to the contents of a granny’s bed - sighs, regrets and sometimes a grandpa.
Illustrated with funny comic-style pictures, this is a contemporary gift book full of word play, for the entire family to enjoy. With witty and bright graphic illustrations, this encyclopedia challenges the cliches and celebrates the grannies in our lives – no matter what kind of grandma, abuela, nana or nonna you have, you are or would like to be.
Inside every granny, there’s a small house, and in that house is that same granny when she was a little girl. That’s where she still lives.
A chic gift book that will appeal to all ages. Fantastic to give to grandparents, new grandmothers, for Mother’s Day, or as a celebratory gift for the entire family.
Éric Veillé was born in 1976 in Laval and studied at the Duperré School in Paris. He has since released many books, as author and illustrator, including My Pictures After the Storm (starred reviews) and Lionel Poops and Lionel Eats All by Himself .
Translated from the French by Daniel Hahn.
Praise for Encyclopedia of Grannies
“An offbeat look at modern-day grannies.” Kirkus Reviews
“It’s a completely bonkers, gleefully silly guide to grandmothers of all stripes.” School Library Journal , The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2019
“A cornucopia of comedy, both in the content and the brashly coloured cartoon images, which includes a fabulous array of granny hairdos, and not a blue rinse in sight.” The Irish Times
Praise for My Pictures After the Storm
“Unexpected giggles await with every page turn.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Clever, playful, with a mordant edge, this is sophisticated silliness in warm shades of red and yellow.” The Guardian
Why do grandmas tell us to speak slowly? Why do grandmas wear their hair up? Are grandmas flexible? How do you cheer up a grandma? And why do they always have creases on their faces?
Children have lots of questions about grannies and Éric Veillé sets out to answer them all with humor and charm in this contemporary picture book for the extended family – how they wear their hair, how they do yoga, how they travel the world, their wise sayings, their knitting.
Each page is dedicated to a quirky topic and combines to make a highly original encyclopedia for children; from buses – no one knows where grannies go – to the contents of a granny’s bed - sighs, regrets and sometimes a grandpa.
Illustrated with funny comic-style pictures, this is a contemporary gift book full of word play, for the entire family to enjoy. With witty and bright graphic illustrations, this encyclopedia challenges the cliches and celebrates the grannies in our lives – no matter what kind of grandma, abuela, nana or nonna you have, you are or would like to be.
Inside every granny, there’s a small house, and in that house is that same granny when she was a little girl. That’s where she still lives.
A chic gift book that will appeal to all ages. Fantastic to give to grandparents, new grandmothers, for Mother’s Day, or as a celebratory gift for the entire family.
Éric Veillé was born in 1976 in Laval and studied at the Duperré School in Paris. He has since released many books, as author and illustrator, including My Pictures After the Storm (starred reviews) and Lionel Poops and Lionel Eats All by Himself .
Translated from the French by Daniel Hahn.
Praise for Encyclopedia of Grannies
“An offbeat look at modern-day grannies.” Kirkus Reviews
“It’s a completely bonkers, gleefully silly guide to grandmothers of all stripes.” School Library Journal , The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2019
“A cornucopia of comedy, both in the content and the brashly coloured cartoon images, which includes a fabulous array of granny hairdos, and not a blue rinse in sight.” The Irish Times
Praise for My Pictures After the Storm
“Unexpected giggles await with every page turn.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Clever, playful, with a mordant edge, this is sophisticated silliness in warm shades of red and yellow.” The Guardian
32 pages, Hardcover
Published August 13, 2019
70 people want to read
About the author
Éric Veillé
53 books12 followersEric Veillé est né en 1976 à Laval. Après des études d’arts appliqués à l’école Duperré à Paris et un exil de deux ans au Cambodge, sa bande dessinée absurde Le Sens de la vie et ses frères, paraît chez Cornélius en 2008. Directeur artistique dans l’édition, il décide un jour de printemps de se consacrer à l’écriture et l’illustration de livres jeunesse. Depuis, il a publié de nombreux albums chez Actes Sud Junior : Maman à l'école (illustré par Pauline Martin) 2015, Mon imagier après la tempête 2014, Les secrets de l'école, où vont les maîtresses après le coucher du soleil ? 2014, Un Monstre à chaussettes 2014, Le bureau des papas perdus (illustré par Pauline Martin) 2013, Tout sur le grand méchant loup 2013 et les cahiers d’activités Sorcières à chatouiller et Pirates à tartiner en 2013 en tant qu’auteur et illustrateur. Lionel est sa première série chez Actes Sud Junior.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 8, 2019
I love all of the different kinds of grannies shown here! It's ridiculous and I hope to someday be like these grannies...especially Forest Grannie. The outfits and hair and wonderful! I had a grandmother complain one time that there are so many stereotypical grannie books. While there are a few stereotypes in here, most of these are wild and eccentric grannies! Love it!
February 15, 2021
'Where are those busloads of grannies going?' and 'Why do grannies have creases?'
These questions and many more are answered (sort of) in Éric Veillé's Encyclopedia of Grannies.
I found the book to be touching, factual and amusing.
From seeing inside a granny where all the younger versions of her are still living inside, to a list of all the names we can call our grannies. I hope to be the kind of granny that travels around the world, sending back postcards of my adventures...and when at home, eagerly awaiting postcards from grandchildren.
The only reason why this wonderful book doesn't get 5 stars from me, is that despite the incredible variety of grannies and their activities and habits, they are all anglo-saxon.
These questions and many more are answered (sort of) in Éric Veillé's Encyclopedia of Grannies.
I found the book to be touching, factual and amusing.
From seeing inside a granny where all the younger versions of her are still living inside, to a list of all the names we can call our grannies. I hope to be the kind of granny that travels around the world, sending back postcards of my adventures...and when at home, eagerly awaiting postcards from grandchildren.
The only reason why this wonderful book doesn't get 5 stars from me, is that despite the incredible variety of grannies and their activities and habits, they are all anglo-saxon.
January 2, 2022
For something with such an inclusive sounding title, it’s lack of diversity is surprising. Would have liked to have seen grannies from different ethnicities.
September 12, 2019
An eccentric, light-hearted look at modern-day grannies.
August 26, 2019
Absolutely ridiculous and I loved it.
December 10, 2019
This is a cute illustrated book about various kinds of grannies and the things that they do. Pokes gentle fun at various granny stereotypes.
I think I read a review of it on NPR and my library didn't have it, so I decided to pick it up.
I ended up enjoying it, but not enough to read it again, so I re-gifted it in my husband's family's white elephant exchange. His grandpa ended up with it. Perfect.
I think I read a review of it on NPR and my library didn't have it, so I decided to pick it up.
I ended up enjoying it, but not enough to read it again, so I re-gifted it in my husband's family's white elephant exchange. His grandpa ended up with it. Perfect.
July 13, 2019
Relying on illustrations created with brush pens and then digitally manipulated and colored and printed with bright inks, this guide to grandmothers is humorous and might amuse a granny or two. Purportedly an encyclopedia on the topic, it's actually a series of images and ruminations of the various types of grannies out there, some more limber than others. There are scenes showing those ubiquitous grannies in waiting rooms and on buses, and pointing out their various hair styles and moods. There are grannies with cats, grannies wearing slippers as they roam the world, and even vocabulary terms typically associated with grannies. While I found it amusing and entertaining, I must point out that grannies are often a lot younger than the book seems to indicate with one hip grandmother featured here being 58. When I loved in New Orleans, I often heard of grannies in their late 30s and 40s. It's a cool idea to devote a funny book just to grannies. I wonder if the author/illustrator will do the same thing for grandfathers, providing some amusement to those grandchildren as they try to unravel the mysteries of their grandparents.
June 3, 2019
A celebration of (white only) grannies. This vintage-style book is a homage to the modern granny. The cover is bright and eye catching and the contents quirky and random. The result is a delightful wander through the mysterious world of the granny, and the questions children might ponder but never be able to answer (until they reach granny status themselves that is!). There is even a page showing what is inside your granny; “Inside every granny, there’s a small house and in that house is that same granny when she was a little girl. That’s where she still lives”. Eye-catching illustrations make this unusual and entertaining book appealing. There is a black cat throughout the story, but unfortunately this doesn’t make up for the lack of any coloured grannies being represented. More work on this and the contents would have seen me describe this as a fabulous book.
Reviewed by Debbie McCauley (Bookrapt)
Reviewed by Debbie McCauley (Bookrapt)
January 16, 2021
The Encyclopedia of Grannies by Eric Veille is a witty, hilarious picture book dedicated to grandmothers.
Everyone knows that grandparents adore their grandchildren and the little ones are fascinated by their grandparents. And I think this fascination comes from the difference in age, from the quality time dedicated to each other, from honesty and genuine interaction and play.
Veille sees grannies as superheroes, as women who learned how to use their wisdom and powers and who can now show their grandchildren the world. In a funny and creative way, of course.
"Why are some grannies bent over?
Grandma, when we're dead, will we still have potato chips?
Why do grannies travel on buses?"
Everyone knows that grandparents adore their grandchildren and the little ones are fascinated by their grandparents. And I think this fascination comes from the difference in age, from the quality time dedicated to each other, from honesty and genuine interaction and play.
Veille sees grannies as superheroes, as women who learned how to use their wisdom and powers and who can now show their grandchildren the world. In a funny and creative way, of course.
"Why are some grannies bent over?
Grandma, when we're dead, will we still have potato chips?
Why do grannies travel on buses?"
March 3, 2025
On one of the first pages I noticed sloppy artwork where one kid had two speech bubbles when they should have just had one. The characters looked like the Simpsons, which I'm not a fan of. My kid doesn't need to be reading a book where a granny is tightening her bra strap. Also probably didn't need an illustration with the caption "covers for lovers." The fact that this was written and translated by men adds to the ick factor.
January 9, 2020
I'm not sure this should be categorized as a book for any one age. Babies have grandmas, adults have grandmas, and Grandmas...have lives.
Our affection for grandma-figures gives a sweetness to this book but really its a hilariously illustrated depiction of many people, of many different shapes and sizes, doing many different things. You know, like people.
Only, not as cool as grandma-people.
Our affection for grandma-figures gives a sweetness to this book but really its a hilariously illustrated depiction of many people, of many different shapes and sizes, doing many different things. You know, like people.
Only, not as cool as grandma-people.
November 10, 2019
2/3 of the book seemed intended for the entertainment of grandmothers, if they're not easily offended. Not actually sure who the intended audience of this book actually is....but I enjoyed most of it with a wry smile throughout....
March 6, 2020
A silly book that pokes fun at (exclusively white) grannies.
I was expecting something inclusive like The Grandma Book by Todd Parr, instead this book is for an older audience, mocking and showing appreciation for a specific kind of grandma.
I was expecting something inclusive like The Grandma Book by Todd Parr, instead this book is for an older audience, mocking and showing appreciation for a specific kind of grandma.
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September 11, 2021Less of what I consider an encyclopedia and more like an almanac or one of those Ripley's Believe it or Not books. Grannies can have many features, personalities, names, and abilities, and this guidebook offers a humorous look at grannies real and imagined.
May 21, 2019
I need to give this to my grandmothers.
August 29, 2019
Cute and silly. Perfect gift for a granny.
September 30, 2019
Cute, quirky.
November 6, 2019
Do not understand who this book is written for, grandchildren or old women. It's not funny and not very appealing. The illustrations are ugly, too. Just bad all the way through.
November 14, 2019
It's a fun and unusual book, though it sadly lacks the diversity of The Bureau of Misplaced Dads. Diversifying it could have made it more approachable and fun, so it's a bit of an odd choice.
November 21, 2019
An elementary and up book about grandmothers and how they come in all shapes and sizes. Each page is one topic and many grandma's.
December 30, 2019
A super adorable, fun book
January 7, 2020
While I appreciated the general message of the book (no two grannies are alike), I found it difficult to read-since it reads like the title suggests, an encyclopedia.
January 14, 2020
I really wasn't a fan. It would make a good gift as a way of telling someone they are about to become a grandmother. I don't think a child would be interested.
January 15, 2020
Playful and uniquely odd book about grandmothers
February 20, 2020
Hilarious and true!
April 29, 2020
Maybe I am stereotyping, but this understatedly funny, slightly strange picture book reminds me of the movies of Jacques Tati.
October 3, 2020
Having a book illustrated with only white people is a capital-C Choice. The text is sort of funny and the concept is good, but it's executed badly so what's even the point? Pass.
November 23, 2020
A book filled with grannies of all sorts makes an excellent jumping off point to talk about all the grannies in your child's life.
September 12, 2024
Hilariously random and the illustrations were fun!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews