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Tangerines and Tea, My Grandparents and Me: An Alphabet Book
With heartwarming illustrations and fun rhymes, this alphabet book is perfect for grandchildren and grandparents alike!
Visiting grandparents is always an adventure, whether rooting through drawers, playing pretend, or relaxing and reading together in a comfortable chair. Join two boisterous siblings as they leave home to be guests on their grandparents' farm during different seasons of the year. Providing fun rhymes like "the songs we sing while we sit on the swing," and "an oak tree to climb one limb at a time," both adults and children will have fun singing and reading along together, as they learn the alphabet!
Yumi Heo's whimsical illustrations provide the perfect complement to the rhythm of Ona Gritz's jubilant ABC text. Grandchildren of all ages will recognize themselves in this book's appreciative look at the warmth and happiness that grandparents provide.
Visiting grandparents is always an adventure, whether rooting through drawers, playing pretend, or relaxing and reading together in a comfortable chair. Join two boisterous siblings as they leave home to be guests on their grandparents' farm during different seasons of the year. Providing fun rhymes like "the songs we sing while we sit on the swing," and "an oak tree to climb one limb at a time," both adults and children will have fun singing and reading along together, as they learn the alphabet!
Yumi Heo's whimsical illustrations provide the perfect complement to the rhythm of Ona Gritz's jubilant ABC text. Grandchildren of all ages will recognize themselves in this book's appreciative look at the warmth and happiness that grandparents provide.
- GenresPicture BooksFiction
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2005
About the author
Ona Gritz
17 books60 followersOna Gritz writes memoir, essays, & poetry for adults, and fiction & verse novels for children and teens. Her memoir Everywhere I Look received the Clara Johnson Award in Women’s Literature, the Pencraft Best Book Award in Memoir, the Readers’ Choice Gold Award for Best Adult Book, and was named an Independent Book Review 2024 Must-Read, a Kirkus Reviews’ “Indie Worth Discovering,” and the StoryTrade Nonfiction Book of the Year.
She is the author of two young adult verse novels, The Space You Left Behind, a Children's Book Council Disability Pride Month Recommended Read, and Take a Sad Song, a Kirkus Reviews’ best YA title of 2024.
Ona’s nonfiction has appeared widely, including in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Utne Reader, Brevity, Parents, The Rumpus, and River Teeth. Her honors include two Notable mentions in The Best American Essays and a Best Life Story in Salon.
Ona’s poetry collection Geode was a finalist for the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award. She won The Poetry Archive Now: Wordview 2020 Project and has received many other honors for her poems. Her most recent book is If You Find This Letter, a middle grade verse novel about friendship, family, grief, and time traveling letters. Children’s author, Kimberly Behre Kenna calls it “a gem of a novel… that’s as accessible as it is profound.”
She is the author of two young adult verse novels, The Space You Left Behind, a Children's Book Council Disability Pride Month Recommended Read, and Take a Sad Song, a Kirkus Reviews’ best YA title of 2024.
Ona’s nonfiction has appeared widely, including in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Utne Reader, Brevity, Parents, The Rumpus, and River Teeth. Her honors include two Notable mentions in The Best American Essays and a Best Life Story in Salon.
Ona’s poetry collection Geode was a finalist for the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award. She won The Poetry Archive Now: Wordview 2020 Project and has received many other honors for her poems. Her most recent book is If You Find This Letter, a middle grade verse novel about friendship, family, grief, and time traveling letters. Children’s author, Kimberly Behre Kenna calls it “a gem of a novel… that’s as accessible as it is profound.”
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 7, 2012
I'm discovering that there are some really excellent picture books in the ABCs and 123s genres. Bright, fresh illustrations and interesting themes that make numbers and the alphabet feel original (when you wouldn't have thought they could).
April 2, 2023
Here we have an alphabet book. It's also a celebration of grandparents, comfortably providing a safe place to visit and thrive.
Sentence fragments, each one starring a letter of the alphabet -- in sequence: I like that approach to an alphabet book. Learning readers can get each letterey message easily enough.
Also, I'm thrilled to find an alphabet book without predictable doggerel. Yay!
As an enthusiastic writer and Goodreads reader, I consider this book a dignified and respectful introduction to letters, hearing alphabet sounds, reading, and having fun along the way.
* Both the lyrical, educational story by Ona Gritz...
* And the distinctively clever, refined illustrations by Yumi Heo
* Both enchant me. Thank you, Ona and Yumi.
Sentence fragments, each one starring a letter of the alphabet -- in sequence: I like that approach to an alphabet book. Learning readers can get each letterey message easily enough.
Also, I'm thrilled to find an alphabet book without predictable doggerel. Yay!
As an enthusiastic writer and Goodreads reader, I consider this book a dignified and respectful introduction to letters, hearing alphabet sounds, reading, and having fun along the way.
* Both the lyrical, educational story by Ona Gritz...
* And the distinctively clever, refined illustrations by Yumi Heo
* Both enchant me. Thank you, Ona and Yumi.
August 10, 2018
Tangerines, Tea, My Grandparents and Me was one of my son's favorite books when he was a toddler. He would have me read it to him again and again.
This whimsical story helps children learn the alphabet while also teaching them that time spent with family should be treasured. Ms. Gritz has written an enticing story that appeals to all ages. The illustrations are full of vivid colors that grab the reader's attention.
This whimsical story helps children learn the alphabet while also teaching them that time spent with family should be treasured. Ms. Gritz has written an enticing story that appeals to all ages. The illustrations are full of vivid colors that grab the reader's attention.
November 3, 2018
Cute book. The illustrative style was wonderful and I like the flow of the text.
February 7, 2020
~Genre: Picturebook - Alphabet book
~Awards: None
Audience: Grades Pre-K - 1
~How do you know this book fits in the specific category? This is an alphabet book. The content is presented in a manner suited for young children and it includes many pictures.
~Describe one of the visual elements and how it contributes to the story. The use of space is varied, but with purpose. Most pages have a large square image depicting the words representing each letter. However, some pages have just the described figures, surrounded by blank space, rather than being part of a scene. Most of the time there is a picture and correlating text on either page of a spread. Yet some of the letters take up a two page spread, with text and some little drawings on one side and a scene on the other.
~How would you use this book with a child or group of children? This book would be great for work with letters, rhymes, or alliteration.
~Awards: None
Audience: Grades Pre-K - 1
~How do you know this book fits in the specific category? This is an alphabet book. The content is presented in a manner suited for young children and it includes many pictures.
~Describe one of the visual elements and how it contributes to the story. The use of space is varied, but with purpose. Most pages have a large square image depicting the words representing each letter. However, some pages have just the described figures, surrounded by blank space, rather than being part of a scene. Most of the time there is a picture and correlating text on either page of a spread. Yet some of the letters take up a two page spread, with text and some little drawings on one side and a scene on the other.
~How would you use this book with a child or group of children? This book would be great for work with letters, rhymes, or alliteration.
January 5, 2014
A variety pictures in this book are described with words well. It can be simple, plain phrases without meaning. but we can make sentences by using this phrase to extend to your idea. For example, " a yard in bloom outside your room" it appeared on this book. I use it such as, " I think of you at a yard in bloom outside my room." If you think again, this book can be improved your idea.
September 6, 2008
A rhyme scheme that is subtle and still flows well. Pictures are very childlike. But I liked some of the memories I got of my childhood while reading things like "a nap at noon in a noisy room."
May 1, 2015
Adorable pictures in vintage American folk art style to accompany ABC story! Clever alliteration using letter in multiple ways on each page.
December 1, 2015
A gem of a story that rhymes and tells about the joys of spending time with grandparents. The bonus is that it is an alphabet book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews