What Will You Be, Grandma?

Assured by her granddaughter Lily that she “still has a long way to go,” Grandma is game to entertain a number of possibilities for her next act. “You could be a lady who goes to schools and says, ‘No more lessons today. Everyone go and play,’ ” writes British author/actress Newman in the voice of her young narrator. In fact, nothing is off the table as far as Lily is concerned; Grandma could even grow a pair of wings or cultivate “flowers that never die” and unpopular vegetables that taste like dessert. Clark fills out her watercolor and pencil fantasies with a passel of subsidiary characters and whimsical detailing (the patchwork pattern of Grandma’s wings is a nice touch). But a tableau prettiness prevails and keeps readers at arm’s length; the narrator’s imagination is in overdrive, but the book has the overall tone of a reverie. One thing is for sure, though: Clark’s portrayal of Grandma as a stylish, un-grayed woman of a certain age is sure to win her grownup fans. Ages 3–6. (Aug.)