Encyclopedia of Grannies by Éric Veillé  Here’s a book for every babushka, yaya, farmor, lola and kuia (respectively Russian, Greek, Danish, Filipino and Maori). Go to page five and you’ll find an assortment of other names for grandmothers. Touted as the first of its kind, Eric Veillé’s Encyclopedia of Grannies is a must for every discerning grandparent and grandchild (hint hint) - this would be a great present for “Grand” Mother’s Day! Quirky and full of great facts about grannies, this is sure to exercise the imagination, be a good talking point, and show the reader that grannies come in all varieties (shapes, sizes, ages, types) from the wildly leaping energetic gran on the cover (hold on kids!) to those who need a ‘throne’ for their weary bones. And their hair - well, its anything they wish it to be. “Most grannies do whatever they like with their hair. And quite right.” And one thing we are told, that they share in common, is time: time to be tempted by a cream bun, time to give cuddles, time to give the table a quick wipe, and time to get names muddled up. Grannies are wise, especially when they eating out in the treetops (Veillé’s text and illustrations create fun and hilarious juxtapositions), and grannies have their own special vocabulary (some of which is rather quaint). My favourite page is ‘Inside’: see a granny and her insides, with illustrations of the girl she was. “Inside every granny, there’s a small house, and in that house is that same granny when she was a little girl.” The book is dotted with questions from children: Why do grannies always tell us to speak up? Do grannies only ever knit cardigans? Do all grannies like nature walks? And where are those busloads of grannies going? All is revealed with the jaunty text and even more in the excellent and funky drawings. It’s not just fun and games, though: there’s also a page dedicated to moods and feelings. “Sometimes a granny feels like a lump of old mashed potato”. On this page, there are some hints about how you can cheer up a granny: draw her a chicken, put her hair in pigtails, give her drops of rain from a country where it doesn’t rain, or tell her a secret.  And of course, there is a whole spread dedicated to her travels and to sending her postcards! And there’s a cat on every page to show you the way and to make comment in the way only cats can. Plenty of fun for the young, as well for every granny, nana, nonna, abuela, nainai and jida. Enjoyable.