Looking for a clever way to tell your parents or in-laws that they’re going to be grandparents? Consider giving them a copy of That’s What Grandparents Are For. The author, Arlene Uslander, told me that’s how one woman announced her big news to her in-laws. Another young woman bought a copy and asked Arlene to sign it: “Lots of love to an amazing Grandma and Grandpa,” with the grandchild’s name.
Whether you choose to give this book to a grandparent-in-waiting or keep it to read to your own grandchildren, you’ll love this sweet hardcover book. It has short verses and wonderful illustrations that celebrate the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. It will make grandparents smile with familiarity, from bragging about their grandchild’s birth through the milestone of watching a grandchild start school and become a big sister. Each page has colorful illustrations of grandparents and grandchildren enjoying adventures together with lots of objects for little listeners to identify. The verses are whimsical and each page ends with the title’s line except for the last page, which melted my heart—but I won’t spoil the punchline!
Arlene Uslander is a retired elementary school teacher who lived in Chicago all her life until last year, when she and her husband decided they wanted to live closer to a new grandson born three years ago. Now they live in California, half a block away from their grandchildren, and they couldn’t be happier. Uslander wrote an advice column for grandparents while living in Chicago. Some of her advice was about long-distance grandparenting, which she was all too familiar with when her two-year old grandson moved 8,000 miles away.
The best way to order this book is directly through Arlene’s email: arleneuslander@gmail.com. The book can no longer be ordered through book stores. She’ll be glad to autograph the book, along with any special message you would like her to write. She is currently working on a sequel: That’s What Grandchildren Are For.
