BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
When a boy stops to visit his grandmother, she thinks he is Willie, one of her kindergarten students from many years ago when she was a teacher. Andy has been told by his parents about what's going on with his grandmother, so he goes along with it. She reminds him about the time their class fed the hummingbirds, and when Willie made her a special gift.
Allen Say's illustrations are, as usual, beautiful. Miss Irwin is a sweet story about a child experiencing a grandmother whose memory is failing. There's hardly any background information, in fact, we don't know what Andy's parents told him about his grandma. Andy is able to successfully negotiate the visit, pretending to be another child - one she remembers. It's scary and confusing when a beloved grandparent no longer knows who you are. Miss Irwin would be a good source to start that conversation with a young child. I found the story heartbreaking and am not sure I would recommend it other than to a child who needs more understanding of the topic. I wish it included resources. There are no textual clues to culture, however, the illustrations represent Grandmother as white and Andy may be Asian.
Lisa Librarian
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