Tale of a Gambling Grandma

by Dayal Kaur Khalsa

The grandma of this story is different. Not many grandmas teach their granddaughters how to play poker, or take train rides across the country, bathing in fresh orange juice. But this grandma is also not so different. Together grandma and granddaughter go to the movies, drink tea at a Chinese food restaurant, and see a vaudeville show that stars a beer-drinking hippo. Everyday they have lunch together, and grandma tells the story of her life. This is an off-beat, heartwarming tale narrated by a little girl whose grandmother is her best friend.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this story aloud to a number of classes, I got choked up the first half-dozen or so times, especially towards the end. This is a bittersweet story about Dayal Kaur Khalsa’s special relationship with her eccentric Jewish grandmother, who moved from Russia to Brooklyn.

The author-artist begins with, “My grandma was a gambler. This is the story of her life as she told it to me and as I remember it.” Near the end of the first page, she writes, “When she was old enough to get married, my grandma borrowed a balalaika. She couldn’t play the balalaika, but she could hum very loudly.” On the opposite page is one of the 18 paintings in the book: her grandmother as a young woman on the steps in front of her apartment in Brooklyn, pretending to play the balalaika. All the illustrations are brightly coloured and painted in a style that is so original, I don’t know how to describe it except to say that each one is as detailed and as lovingly drawn as the story is told.

This is my favourite book by Khalsa, who managed to write and illustrate seven books before she died of cancer in1989. She was chosen twice for the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. She was also a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award.

Recommended for: those who appreciate children’s books that will be enjoyed at least as much by adults

[Maricruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teniendo en cuenta de que cada vez que paso cerca de una casa de apuestas se me erizan los pelillos y gruño, el título de este libro para niños captó mi atención de inmediato. Casi tanto como si me hubiera encontrado un álbum ilustrado titulado Historias de mi tío el cocainómano o Los cuentos de mi tata y su botella de anís del mono.

Sí, este libro trata exactamente de una abuela que le daba fuerte a las partidas de póker (no online, sino de las de antes, de las de siempre). Me lo leí durante el desayuno y de la risa se me atragantó varias veces el café. Hacía tiempo que no leía una cosa tan tierna e hilarante a partes iguales.

Y no os preocupéis, que tras leerlo vuestrxs hijxs no van a salir corriendo a jugar al póker online. O sí, yo qué sé. Lo mismo un libro sobre cómo petarlo con el Texas Hold 'em no está de más los próximos Reyes.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book quirky and endearing. The illustrations are beautiful. Honestly I wish my grandmother or other female elders in my life had such interesting stories to tell of their own lives. This book is the narrator's remembrances of the stories and advice her grandmother told her of her own life. This story starts with a grandmother's tale of escaping Russian, probably during the Bolshevik Revolution, for a life in the United States. Some of the stories of funny, her grandmother pretended to play the balalaika to win a husband. The advice is amusing, "learn too say 'da' and keep borscht in the fridge in case Cossacks visit." But the bigger story, the relationship between the granddaughter and grandmother, is sweet. The narrator shares memories of restaurant visits, looking through the drawer of her grandmother's treasures, and sitting beneath the willow tree in the front yard. The narrator also shares the loss of her grandmother and that is an important story for us all.
I was asked to read this book as a member of a library review committee for an elementary school. There were concerns because the book discusses gambling and mafia gangsters. It does. It touches on them briefly as part of the tales from Grandma. The story does not wax poetic on gambling. In fact it is explained that the grandmother needed more money so she took up cards. The mafia is hardly more than two sentences. If you have a problem with that, skip this book. I however think it would be more interesting to read this story with a child and answer the questions that might come up. I recommended the book remain in the school library.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite children's books

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching, lovely remembrance of a special grandmother. Grandma loved to gamble and had a zest for storytelling, and the bond she built with her young granddaughter is a treasure. A beautiful story of the unique love between child and grandparent.

[Davin Thompson-williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was sweet. it chronicled not just the life of the grandmother but the relationship between the grandmother and granddaughter. It gave an accurate description of how gender roles are passed down through generations as well as heirlooms and skills.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about a grandma and the things that happened to her in an eventful life. Could be used to teach inferring.