Review: Everything Grandma Needs – Lindsey McDivittLindsey McDivitt
Guest post by author Molly Beth Griffin
Everything Grandma Needs by Molly Beth Griffin. Illustrations by Anait Semirdzhyan.
Charlesbridge Publishing 2026 (ages 3-7)
I’m so excited to share my new picture book with you. Everything Grandma Needs is coming out with Charlesbridge in July 2026 with beautiful art by Anait Semirdzhyan (who also illustrated my book Just Us). It’s a story about helping an elder downsize, an experience that is a struggle for many families these days.
The grandma character in the story is moving from a big house to a condo, and needs to get rid of a lot of her stuff. Her daughter and granddaughter are helping her sort, and as is common in picture books, I let the child take the lead as much as possible. But I didn’t want Grandma to be a passive, sad character. Older people are so often depicted that way and I try to push back against that stereotype in my books whenever I can.
Instead, I worked to show Grandma as an active, vibrant, interesting person who has lived such a full life that her space has become overwhelmed with clutter – books from her teaching days, toys and games from parenting and grandparenting, clothes, paperwork, and knickknacks.
She has strong relationships with her daughter and granddaughter, and accepts their help to manage it. There is levity and humor in their process as well as heartache, and throughout, I hoped to show Grandma as a complex person with a rich history and lots to look forward to.
There’s a fashion show scene where Grandma tries on her clothes, which shows her silliness and playfulness. I also love the body shape Anait has depicted, and Grandma’s attitude toward it!
In the scene where Grandma is confronted with her overstuffed cabinet of dishes, we learn that she has a “plus one.” Older people are rarely shown in romantic relationships and it was fun to give Grandma a boyfriend and let her daughter joyfully tease her about it.
The jewelry-sorting scene is a tear-jerker, when Grandma finds a necklace that was a gift from Grandpa. They take a moment to miss him together, and this is a rare instance when the child insists that Grandma keep something instead of letting it go. Leaving space for hard emotions and challenging decisions was important to me, and I wanted to acknowledge the loss that is inevitable in a long, full life.
In the end, the family succeeds in helping Grandma transition to her smaller, simpler home, and we are left with a cozy image of Grandma and grandchild cuddled up together—reading Just Us! Grandma is not sad, not lonely, and clearly has many years of joyful living ahead of her.
I hope that this book makes it into the hands of many grandparents, and gently reminds older readers and younger readers that a long life is a wonderful gift.
Molly Beth Griffin is the author of many picture books including Ten Beautiful Things, Rhoda’s Rock Hunt, and Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing. She has also published a YA novel, two poetry chapbooks, and a series of beginning readers. She teaches writing for children, critiques manuscripts, and hosts a monthly Picture Book Salon in Minneapolis, where she lives with her partner and two teenagers. When she’s not reading or writing, she likes walking around lakes, taking pictures of birds, watching mysteries, eating pastries, and waiting for the mail.
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Note from Lindsey: Personally I give Everything Grandma Needs a shiny gold star as an Age Positive picture book. And Booklist recently awarded this lovely book a starred review.
Also, another of Molly’s picture books, Ten Beautiful Things, has garnered lots of praise and will be released soon in a board book format for younger kids. It can be pre-ordered now & delivered on its release July 14, 2026.
