Snowed in with Grandmother Silk

This is one of those books that pulls at your heartstrings without being maudlin or overly in-your-face with sentimentality. It's nice to see a grandmother depicted in a children's story who is not the chubby, white-haired, sensibly-shoed, cookie-baking, story-reading archetype. Ruddy's grandmother wears furs and has perfectly coiffed hair. She doesn't know how to relate to a young boy, nor he to her. When they get snowed in together and have to rely on their own smarts to stay fed, warm, and entertained, they each have the opportunity to see another side of -- and appreciate -- the other. I love children's books that don't over explain or hit you on the head with a "Moral of the Story anvil." This book avoids that while still making its point, and with far more depth than so many kids' books today.