A new children’s book is celebrating the many grandmothers who help shape Native families, from biological and great-grandmothers to foster and honorary grandmas. Women who may not always share blood, but who share their hearts. However a grandma arrives in a child’s world, she brings a love all her own.
Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith and Oneida illustrator Aphelandra have teamed up for Here Come the Grandmas, a new children’s book celebrating the many roles grandmothers play in Native families. The book explores the connections between generations, from the everyday moments of family life to the traditions and knowledge passed down through the years.
In many Native families, grandmas are woven into the daily rhythm of raising children. They help with caregiving, join in play, and pass along skills that carry generations of knowledge, teaching a child how to cook a favorite dish or piece together a quilt, stitch by stitch. And they show up when it counts, cheering from the sidelines, celebrating the small victories, and reminding kids again and again that they are loved.
And grandmas are just as active beyond the home. In Here Come the Grandmas, Nana Nancee volunteers in a school classroom, lending her time and warmth to a new generation of learners. Grandma Julie serves as an Air Force nurse, deployed on disaster relief missions where her care reaches people during their hardest moments. The characters show young readers that grandmothers can be caregivers, community members, professionals and leaders.
Most of the characters in Here Come the Grandmas are Muscogee or Cherokee, with roots in reservations in Oklahoma. It’s a region that is also home to many Native people from other tribal Nations, reflecting the rich mix of communities and cultures that share the land. Readers meet families whose lives are shaped by tradition, celebration, and the deep bonds between generations.
Not all families live close to home, and the book honors that reality, too. Puse Tammy and Puca Tommy own a house in Dallas, well outside their home tribal community. Like many Native families living away from their reservations, they stay connected across the distance. They open their doors to visitors such as Josie, and they return home regularly, especially for the moments that matter most, like the first ball game of the season. Their story reflects something true for many Native families today: home is both a place you live and a place you carry with you, and the ties to community stay strong no matter the miles.
That thread of connection runs through the whole book. Grandmas link children to the past through their stories: memories of how things were, lessons learned, and the people who came before. At the same time, they look ahead, holding dreams and hopes for the children they love. In their company, kids find both roots and wings.
Here Come the Grandmas is a joyful follow-up to Here Come the Aunties, once again pairing distinguished author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) with illustrator Aphelandra (Oneida). Where the first book celebrated the aunties who fill a child’s life with love, this companion turns its warmth toward grandmothers in all their forms: near and far, related and chosen, quiet and exuberant.
Above all, this is a book about blessings. Grandmas are a blessing! They offer good company and hard-won wisdom, creativity and plenty of humor, along with stories of the past and dreams for the future. They remind children that love comes in many shapes, arrives from many directions, and only grows stronger over time.
Whether a grandma is mom’s mom or dad’s mom, a great-grandma, a foster grandma, or an honorary grandma, grandmothers bring a special kind of love wherever they go — and this book invites every child to feel it.