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Gracie is back experiencing new things with her grandmother, and this time they head to the pool after school. They put on their bathing suits, jump in the shower, acknowledge the crocodile that guards the water, and start their game of pretend. When it’s time to leave, Gracie takes another shower, gets dressed and dries her hair, and has a snack.
Gracie and Grandma Under Water, similar to its predecessor Gracie and Grandma, seems to want to highlight the loving relationship with Gracie and her grandmother. The problem is that the experiences are so disjointed that they fail to entice readers to care about what happens next.
In addition, here, it almost seems like the text is based on a number on inside jokes to which the reader is not privy. For example, a snack of apple juice and chocolate cake is topped off with olives, because Gracie loves them. In addition, when Gracie and her Grandma play pretend, they pretend to be starfish and shrimp (perhaps more likely to be make-believe choices in author Iben Sandemose’s native Norway).
The bond between a little girl and her grandmother is a sweet one to be celebrated and cherished. Unfortunately, Gracie and Grandma Under Water does not give the relationship the nurture and care it deserves.
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Gracie and Grandma Under Water