Nana in the Country

In Castillo’s Nana in the City, Nana helped a grandchild move from overwhelm to acceptance of Nana’s unfamiliar city home. In this title, Nana visits the child narrator in the country, and she greets everything the child shows her with smiling, unfazed calm. Though “I thought Nana would be nervous,” she instead embraces everything she encounters: large geese expecting food, a meadow teeming with insect life, a nest filled with just-hatched birds. “I can’t show Nana how to do anything in the country,” the child says. “She already knows how to do it all.” It’s not until a post-bedtime thunderstorm and the escape of a sheep that Nana shows worry—and the child gets a chance to show off a piece of smart animal care that both saves the day and lets the youth take charge. The next day, there are more things to show impressed Nana, who indicates that the country is “filled with the most magical thing—ME!” Black lines; friendly, naturalistic drawings; and inviting country scenes make this an inviting, cozy follow-up that allows a child to take the lead. The duo is portrayed with pale skin. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)