Young Isabella is convinced that her grandmother knows everything. So she asks her many questions: “Why does the sea stop at the sand, instead of swallowing up the whole town with its watery mouth?” “What holds the moon up so it doesn’t fall out of the sky?” “Who paints the clouds?”
Isabella longs for answers so she herself will know everything, but Grandma offers only silence and sighs. Isabella asks more questions, and again Grandma refuses to answer. Frustrated, Isabella asks Grandma why she is silent. Wisely, Grandma says she doesn’t have the answers, but she knows what they have to do with all the mysteries they’ve encountered. Then Isabella and Grandma take a walk to the sea and express their thanks. They also thank the moon, wind, clouds, and sun.
Author Charo Pita’s gentle tale and Anuska Allepuz’s earth-tone illustrations highlight the loving relationship between a grandmother and her inquisitive grandchild and engender a sense of awe and gratitude for the mystery and majesty of God’s creation.
Christian parents and caregivers who read this book with children can focus on the most essential act of gratitude—thanking God and glorifying him for all he has made.
(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.