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“A young Black girl and her family travel to New York City from Toronto for a family wedding in the early 1980s. The family relies on a road atlas to make their way. …Gazing out the window, Nikki reflects on the global connections that are part of her family, with roots in Africa, Jamaica, and beyond. …An affirming family story featuring a smart young woman showing off her solid map skills.”

– School Library Journal

Getting Us to Grandma’s

Written by Nadia L. Hohn
Illustrated by TeMika Grooms
Published by Groundwood Books

Nikki’s family is preparing for a long road trip from Toronto to the Bronx to attend Uncle Travis’s wedding. They pack their suitcases, boxes of Jamaican black cake, and most importantly to Nikki, the big map book!

Nikki loves geography and enjoys tracing the routes to all the places her relatives live — her Grandpa in Florida, her cousins in Atlanta, DC, and Boston. She daydreams of England, where other family lives, and Jamaica and Africa, where her roots run deep.

Her attention comes back to the road trip when it’s clear that Daddy’s taken a wrong turn. “I can help!” says Nikki, who proves to be an excellent navigator. She guides them back to the Bronx Expressway, under the elevated subway tracks, onto a street of brown row houses and safely to Grandma’s.

Inspired by the childhoods of author Nadia L. Hohn and illustrator TeMika Grooms, Getting Us to Grandma’s is full of fun historic details — a world before Google Maps! — and authentic cultural moments shared by diasporic families, whose stories can be traced across continents. A fantastic representation of Black girls in STEM.

Primary ISBN: 9781773066899
Publication Date: October 2024
Available As: Hardcover
Picture Book, Age 03 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: Canada (Toronto ON), United State (New York City NY)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 2nd Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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