Kids just love magical things: leprechauns, fairies, unicorns and many other surprises. In this week’s picture book recommendation from Cheryl Ashley at the Verona Public Library, the magic increases tenfold with Granny and her trip to the park with Emily and Harry.
Written by Elizabeth McKay, the magical story of Wee Granny’s Magic Bag could provide an imagination-inspiring conversation with your own kids as to what they would like to see come out of a magical bag. I’m sure my kids list would include toys, endless cupcakes and a trampoline. Here is Ashley’s description of the story:
Young Emily and Harry are taking a trip to the park with their Wee Granny. Even a trip to the neighborhood park is a special event, if it involves Wee Granny with her magic tartan bag.
As Granny sets up for a picnic at the park, her telephone rings. She reaches into her bag to retrieve the phone — and out comes a red telephone booth. She pops in and takes a call from Mum, who asks for help baking cupcakes for the school. Granny gets to work right away. Flour, eggs, pans, even an oven, are pulled from Wee Granny’s tartan bag and the baking commences.
There is a tense moment for Granny, when she finds that her baking in the park has drawn a curious crowd and a policeman approaches, but we soon see eggs, bowl, thermometer, sugar and butter fly through the air and land in the bag. Granny manages to stuff that oven back in the bag just in the nick of time. The cupcakes are duly delivered to the school and the bag holds one more surprise – but I won’t give that away.
The illustrations by Maria Bogade are delightful and the concept of a magic bag filled with whatever the heart desires is irresistible.
