Little Lit: The ACB with Honora Lee by Kate De Goldi

Summary:
Perry is an only child and she doesn't see the world quite the way other people do, a trait she has in common with her grandmother, Honora Lee, who she visits weekly with her father. Perry's parents believe that only children should be kept busy. Music lessons, dance class--every day has something planned. Then her movement class is unexpectedly and suddenly canceled and Perry convinces her parents to let her spend Thursday afternoons with her grandmother, Honora Lee, at the Santa Lucia rest home. As Perry gets to know her grandmother better and learns more about the other residents she decides to create an alphabet book all about Santa Lucia for a school project. What starts out as a simple project turns into an exploration of family, life, and the little moments that tie people together.

What I Liked:

• I loved Perry's voice. Though it's not explicitly stated there is a sense that she is somewhere on the autism spectrum and I loved the way that was expressed through her language and through the illustrations.
• The illustrations were beautifully chaotic - I thought they were a perfect representation of Perry's mind.
• I enjoyed the portrayal of Perry's family. They certainly aren't perfect and her parents are rather stereotypically distracted parents, but they do care about Perry and I liked the way that Perry starts to see the connections between her father and grandmother and her parents and herself.
• I really loved the way the residents of the rest home were portrayed as well. De Goldi captures the perspective of a child really well in her depictions of Perry's reactions to and interactions with the seniors especially.

What I Would Have Liked:

• I really wanted to see the alphabet! I wish it could have been included at the end of the book.

Verdict:

• I thought this was a sweet book.
• I really enjoyed it and it made me laugh and tear up a bit as well.
• I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.