When I Found Grandma

Maya longs to see her grandmother, but when Grandma arrives from far away for a visit, she is not quite what Maya expected.

When Maya's grandma makes a surprise visit from thousands of miles away, Maya is delighted. But her excitement doesn't last long. When Grandma picks her up from school, she wears fancy clothes and talks too loudly. Grandma's morning prayer bells wake Maya up, and she cooks with ingredients Maya doesn't usually eat. Plus, Maya thinks cupcakes taste better than Grandma's homemade sweets.

Maya and Grandma try to compromise, and on a special trip to the island Grandma even wears an "all-American" baseball cap. But when Maya rushes off to find the carousel, she loses sight of her mother, father and grandmother. She is alone in a sea of people ... until she spots something bobbing above the crowd, and right away she knows how to find her way.

Saumiya Balasubramaniam's story is an insightful and endearing portrayal of a grandparent-grandchild relationship that is evolving and deeply loving, as Maya and Grandma navigate cross-cultural contexts and generational differences. Qin Leng's sweet, evocative illustrations complement the story and illuminate Grandma and Maya's growing closeness.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Saumiya Balasubramaniam has a Masters in Computer Science and a passion for writing. She received the prestigious Bram and Bluma Appel Scholarship from the Humber School of Creative Writing. The manuscript for When I Found Grandma, her debut picture book, was a finalist in the children's writing competition held by CANSCAIP (Canadian Society for Children's Authors, Illustrators and Publishers) and TWUC (The Writers' Union of Canada). She has also written essays for the Times of India and the Globe and Mail. Saumiya lives with her family in Toronto.

Qin Leng lives and works as a designer and illustrator in Toronto. She graduated from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema and has received many awards for her animated short films and artwork. Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin, written by Chieri Uegaki, was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and received the APALA Award for best picture book. Her most recent books include The Better Tree Fort by Jessica Scott Kerrin as well as Away by Emil Sher and A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary, which were both selected for USBBY's Outstanding International Books List.