Today we’re delighted to reveal the cover and exclusive author and imprint co-founder letters for Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers, illustrated by Julie Flett! The cover was also illustrated by Julie Flett and designed by Chelsea Donaldson. The book was edited by Rosemary Brosnan, co-founder of Heartdrum, and will be released on January 24, 2023 by HarperCollins. Pre-order it here, here, here, here, or here.

Becca loves spending time with Grandma. Every time Becca says, “Let me try,” Grandma shows her how to make something beautiful. Whether they are beading moccasins, dancing like the most beautiful butterflies, or practicing basketball together, Becca knows that, more than anything, she wants to be just like Grandma. And as the two share their favorite activities, Becca discovers something surprising about Grandma too. 

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Opening letter from author Kim Rogers:

Dear Reader,

While writing the author’s note for Just Like Grandma, so many great memories came flooding back—not only of the wonderful people my grandmothers were but the way they lived, the way they loved, and the fascinating stories they told.

In this book, I wanted to show the beauty of the special bond between a granddaughter and her grandmother. In my Wichita culture, we hold our grandparents and all Elders in high esteem. Intergenerational relationships are important to us and a theme woven throughout my writing.

Before I was born, my dad was drafted into the Marine Corps and sent to Vietnam. My mom was living with my grandparents then. I spent my first year there before my dad was able to come home and meet me. I am blessed that I developed a strong relationship with my granny and granddad.

I am my Wichita Grandma’s only granddaughter. The rest of her grandchildren—my brother and cousins—are grandsons. So our relationship was special. She doted on me and gave me beautiful clothes and jewelry for birthdays and Christmas gifts. She also told intriguing true stories that often included ghosts on our tribal lands. But the greatest gift was how we adored each other. I wish I could talk to her now. There are so many questions I wish I had asked her.

My great-grandmother was always full of energy and life. She liked to have fun and went out dancing at the senior citizen community center in her town even into her late 70s. She outlived two of her husbands. The third one outlived her. I’m grateful that I was able to get to know one of my great-grandparents. My mom and I both wanted to be like Momma Mae.

Although my grandparents are no longer with us, I carry each of them in my heart wherever I go. Because that’s what you do when you lose a loved one. They helped shape me, especially my grandmothers. I believe that I am just like them all in so many ways. I hope that when you read this story you think of the ways you want to be just like your own grandmother, or already are.

So:ti:c?a (thank you) for reading Just Like Grandma.

Kim Rogers

Letter from imprint co-founder Cynthia Leitich-Smith:

Dear Reader,

Do you have a role model—someone who inspires you to be more like them? Maybe your role model is a parent or teacher, an auntie or uncle, a neighbor, grandparent, or other Elder.

Role models show us what’s possible for ourselves…like Becca’s grandma showed her it was possible to bead and dance and paint. Or maybe you are a role model to a sibling, cousin, or friend. You might even be a role model to a grownup, like Becca is in inspiring Grandma to play basketball.

Elders can be loving, influential people in our lives. They are often caretakers, showing us how to nourish each other like Grandpa does for this family. Whether you have Elders in your day-to-day life or only through books like this one, I hope they inspire you in wonderful ways.

This picture book is published by Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which focuses on stories about young Native heroes by Indigenous authors and illustrators. I’m delighted to include this book on the list because of the nurturing bond between Becca and her grandparents and because, when I was your age, my grandmothers—one stylish and strong-willed, the other homespun and good humored—were among my life’s greatest blessings.

Mvto,

Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Kim Rogers writes books, short stories, and poems across all children’s age groups. She is an enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and is a member of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Much of her writing highlights her Wichita heritage. Kim lives with her family on her tribe’s ancestral homelands in Oklahoma.

 

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Julie Flett is a Swampy Cree and Red River Métis author and artist. Her picture book Birdsong is a Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book; she also received the Governor General’s Award for When We Were Alone by David Robertson, and the American Indian Library Association Award for Best Picture Book for Little You by Richard Van Camp.