May'Naise Sandwiches & Sunshine Tea

I really enjoyed this book because I think it is a prime example of multicultural literature. The story is written in a dialect, which makes the story more authentic. The story also changes points of views, first being from the granddaughters and then to the grandmother's. I enjoyed how this story demonstrated the relationship between a granddaughter and her grandmother, but more importantly, while this book is aimed for younger readers, I liked how it subtly hinted at history and socioeconomic status. The grandmother recalls a flashback to how she was nervous for her friend of a higher socioeconomic class to visit her lower-income household, even though her friend ended up having a fantastic time. The big message of this story is to show more appreciate the little things, because they can end up being the big things. For example, while the grandmother was ashamed that her mother only made mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch, she was pleasantly surprised that Bettie Jean (her friend) told her it was the best lunch she had ever had. From then on, they made it a tradition to have picnics with mayonnaise sandwiches whenever they had a playdate. I also think a big message from this story is to not be ashamed of your roots. Where you come from plays a big part in who you are, and I think that children should be taught to embrace their culture rather than be embarrassed by it. The sooner children learn this, the better. show less