KidLit: Hannah: Gran’s Treasure Box by Heather Rhodes, illustrated by Burcu Arat Sup
Let’s face it, grandmothers—whether they are called gram, nana, nonny, grammy, granny, gramma, or grandmother dearest—are the best people in the world (except, of course, for evil grandmothers who are the subject of nightmares. We’ll get to that later.). Grandmothers give the best hugs, make the yummiest cookies, tell the neatest stories, and love unconditionally (except for…well, you already know).
Hannah is a little girl who isn’t afraid of the dark, but is occasionally upset by nightmares. In Hannah: Gran’s Treasure Box, Heather Rhodes tells how, one night when Hannah was staying with her grandmother, Gran taught her how to chase away pesky old nightmares. With the help of a treasure box Gran has stashed away in a bottom drawer under an old blanket, Gran shares the secret to having only good dreams. Will it work for Hannah?
Hannah: Gran’s Treasure Box is a good book for children who have nightmares. Hannah isn’t blamed for having them, and Gran certainly doesn’t tell her she’s silly or laugh at her. In fact, the advice Gran gives Hannah may be helpful to other kids who have the occasionally scary nightmare full of red-eyed cats, two-headed beings, spiders, snakes, and rats. Gran teaches Hannah to think “happy thoughts” before she goes to sleep.
With illustrations by Burcu Arat Sup, Hannah: Gran’s Treasure Box is a cheery storybook that relates to a child’s fears. Its empowering lesson—that dreams are what you make them—is something that grown-ups might want to work on, too.
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