Life Is Beautiful

by Winsome Bingham, Molly Mendoza (Illustrator)

Overview

A “soul-stirring opportunity for joyful reflection” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about a little girl who loses her grandmother and how, even in the midst of sadness and loss, life is beautiful.

Every week, Granny Dee takes three trains and one bus to have a weekend full of TV-watching, bubble-bathing, nail-painting, day-tripping, and living LIFE with her granddaughter. Granny Dee always says, “Everybody should enjoy life. Life is beautiful.”

Until one weekend Granny Dee doesn’t come, and Momma says she’s getting too old for trains and buses. So week after week, the little girl and her momma go to her instead. Then, one Sunday morning, Granny Dee dies. Can Momma and the little girl still find beauty in life while missing someone they loved?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534469952
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, teacher by trade and at heart, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, with more than fifteen years of teaching experience, as well as an MFA in writing for children and young adults. Her books include the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book Soul Food Sunday, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza; The Walk (A Stroll to the Poll), illustrated by E. B. Lewis; and Life Is Beautiful, illustrated by Molly Mendoza. You can find her at BinghamWrites.com.

Molly Mendoza is an illustrator and comic artist who graduated from Pacific Northwest College of Art. They have illustrated picture books including Jovita Wore Pants by Aida Salazar, which won a Caldecott Honor; Freedom, We Sing by Amyra León; Life Is Beautiful by Winsome Bingham; and Singing Justice, Singing Peace by Monica Brown and have worked with clients such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Wired, among others. They currently live in Portland, Oregon. Visit them at MollyMendoza.com.

Editorial Reviews

* "Radiant digital art from Mendoza (Jovita Wore Pants) highlights the importance of enjoying every moment in this emotionally buoyant testament to enduring intergenerational love."

8/19/24 - Publishers Weekly

* "A soul-stirring opportunity for joyful reflection while preparing for one of life’s hardest yet most ever-present realities."

09/01/2024 - STARRED REVIEW Kirkus

A tender story about finding beauty and joy even during times of loss.

10/18/24 - Booklist

★ 2024-08-03
A loving matriarch shows her family how to appreciate the good times as she navigates the end of a life well lived.

Bingham tells another heartfelt, intergenerational story centered on a Black family. Granny Dee “lives in the heart of Harlem” but crosses town—“on three trains and one bus”—to spend weekends with her beloved granddaughter. Whether taking day trips throughout the city or painting each other’s nails, the two delight in every moment together. That is until one weekend when Granny Dee doesn’t arrive. “She’s getting too old for the trains and buses,” Momma says. Daughter and granddaughter visit Granny Dee at her home, where it becomes obvious that she’s readying herself for a transition from this world, informed by her Christian faith. “Earth is a rented space,” she tells her granddaughter. “Heaven is home.” Depictions of the family’s loving memories echo Granny Dee’s words of wisdom. Her maxim—“Everybody should enjoy life. Life is beautiful”—is a final, bittersweet remembrance as the old woman takes her final breaths; readers are left with a reminder that holding on to happy moments with loved ones can help them sit with grief. Mendoza’s carefully composed images of urban scenes, subway rides, and loving moments have a pleasing retro vibe; she infuses her art with animated shapes and lines that pulse with energy—a perfect encapsulation of Granny Dee’s sage words.

A soul-stirring opportunity for joyful reflection while preparing for one of life’s hardest yet most ever-present realities.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews