Life is beautiful

Every Saturday, Granny Dee, who lives "in the heart of Harlem," takes three trains and one bus across the city to visit her granddaughter. "You don't live that far, Missy," she says about the trip, citing the travel to "my favorite grandbaby" as "a reason to get out. A reason to live life. And life is beautiful." Each week, writes Bingham (The Walk) in tender, action-oriented prose, the two enjoy activities including painting nails, slurping "Spritey-Kool-Aid" through elaborately swirled straws, and "eating our way through the city." When Granny Dee doesn't arrive one weekend, Missy persuades Momma to take the "one train and one bus and two more trains" themselves, reversing the journey--and the moments of care--until Granny Dee "lets her last breath escape into the air." Radiant digital art from Mendoza (Jovita Wore Pants) highlights the importance of enjoying every moment in this emotionally buoyant testament to enduring intergenerational love. A final spread exhibits the way Granny Dee's beliefs remain in the world after her homegoing services, as Missy and Momma find a way to employ Granny Dee's mode of enjoying life. Ages up to 8. (Oct.)

A loving matriarch shows her family how to appreciate the good times as she navigates the end of a life well lived. Bingham tells another heartfelt, intergenerational story centered on a Black family. Granny Dee "lives in the heart of Harlem" but crosses town--"on three trains and one bus"--to spend weekends with her beloved granddaughter. Whether taking day trips throughout the city or painting each other's nails, the two delight in every moment together. That is until one weekend when Granny Dee doesn't arrive. "She's getting too old for the trains and buses," Momma says. Daughter and granddaughter visit Granny Dee at her home, where it becomes obvious that she's readying herself for a transition from this world, informed by her Christian faith. "Earth is a rented space," she tells her granddaughter. "Heaven is home." Depictions of the family's loving memories echo Granny Dee's words of wisdom. Her maxim--"Everybody should enjoy life. Life is beautiful"--is a final, bittersweet remembrance as the old woman takes her final breaths; readers are left with a reminder that holding on to happy moments with loved ones can help them sit with grief. Mendoza's carefully composed images of urban scenes, subway rides, and loving moments have a pleasing retro vibe; she infuses her art with animated shapes and lines that pulse with energy--a perfect encapsulation of Granny Dee's sage words. A soul-stirring opportunity for joyful reflection while preparing for one of life's hardest yet most ever-present realities.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.