Ring Ring - by Susan Straub (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A very funny and endearing loose-tooth vacation story, told entirely in video calls from a child to his grandmother

Grandma (aka Mimi) is used to getting video calls from her grandson at all hours, and so she is able to enjoy all the events of his vacation along with him: the swimming pool and beach, the zoo, the donut shop, and even the airport. Best of all, she gets to see his loose tooth get wobblier and wobblier, and to reassure him when he worries that the tooth fairy won't know how to find him.

Packed with laughs and authenticity, this story of family love and childhood exuberance is a silly and sweet read-aloud with a joyous finale.

Review Quotes

"Loose, slice-of-life digital vignettes capture the sandy, sun-bleached feel of a beach vacation while zeroing in on telling details such as goggles, a scraped knee, and a donut run. That approach keeps Mimi peripherally pivotal while anchoring the point of view in the child's world. Making a quietly persuasive case that a screen can carry real intimacy, it's a personal-feeling ode to child-led connection."--Publishers Weekly

"Straub keeps everything bubbly and schmaltz-free, trusting readers to intuit the deep love that binds the narrative's two chatterboxes. Working in Procreate and favoring unfussy vignettes and a temperate palette, Semirdzhyan presents a kid living out his vacation dream and a well-turned-out grandmother as she shops for groceries, hangs out at a library, and otherwise lives an active and fulfilling life. An energetic and original spin on the grandkid-grandparent bond."--Kirkus

About the Author

Susan Straub, coauthor of Gaga Mistake Day (with her daughter, Emma Straub), knows the power of picture books and grandmas. She lives in Brooklyn, wonderfully near her two grandchildren, and her Read to Me Program, which is focused on getting books into the lives of young families, provided insights and material for a coauthored Reading with Babies, Toddlers & Twos.

Anait Semirdzhyan is the illustrator of Just Us by Molly Beth Griffin, Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day by Astrid Kamalyan, The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil, and many other acclaimed books for children. Born in Kazakhstan and raised in Armenia, she now lives in the Seattle area with her husband and twin daughters.