Three Cheers for Catherine the Great

It's Sara's Russian grandma's birthday, and she has made a proclamation: "I have music in my Russian bones, and laughing in my heart. I have the day and the night, and I have all of you. That's why for me the best presents will be no presents." No presents? Sara is baffled. Her amazing grandma gives so much to everyone. How can they have a birthday party for her without gifts? Sara realizes that any "no present" for Grandma has to be pretty special. And the "no present" she finally gives is the best kind of all. With deep warmth and love, Cari Best captures the sweet bond between grandmother and granddaughter. Set in an urban apartment building, with quirky, friendly neighbors, the story digs around family roots, portraying the trunk, branch, and blossoms of an immigrant family tree. Best's first picture book, Taxi! Taxi!, won the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Giselle Potter's art frequently appears in The New Yorker, and one of the picture books she illustrated, Gabriella's Song, was an ALA Notable Book. Here, her eye-catching watercolors invite young readers to join the neighborhood in celebrating the great Catherine's birthday. Includes a recipe for Russian borscht! (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter