Our Granny

Australian duo Wild and Vivas ( The Very Best of Friends ; Let the Celebrations Begin! ) work their own special blend of magic in this affectionate ode to grandmothers of all sizes and hues. Here, a boy and a girl tell about grannies in general and their own in particular, from the way grannies dress--whether in ``jeans and sneakers,'' ``silky dresses'' or ``baggy underwear''--to what they do (``fix the plumbing,'' ``march in demonstrations,'' ``play in a band''). These are grannies for the '90s, active, vigorous women whose lives dispel traditional beliefs about aging. Wild's prose packs a punch (``Our granny does special exercises to make her bottom smaller'') and, as always, Vivas's watercolors are brimming with humanity. There are no hard edges in the world she conjures; the grannies are real, flesh-and-blood women whose soft, rounded shapes speak of hugs and laughter and love. It's a splendid collaboration and an especially fine tool for sparking preschool and early-elementary discussions about families. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)