Pause for a moment.

Listen.

Take a breadth.

Extend your hand.

Imagine if what you hear, smell, and touch in this very moment stayed with you forever. As children, we live each experience in the moment, tapping into each of our senses without even realizing how our senses will shape our cherished memories well into adulthood.

Welcome to Grandma’s House.

My children’s book takes a nostalgic look at my favorite childhood place. The home that built me. I spent a lot of time with my paternal Italian grandmother, Angela Gambardella, before she passed in April of 1988. She unselfishly gave me her time, love, infectious laughter, conversation, and passion for creating authentic Italian cuisine simmered with love.

Still standing tall in Providence, RI today, my grandma’s house was lovingly built brick by brick by my father and grandfather in 1956.

The book cover and illustrations throughout the story are exact replicas of the house and items in the home. My series of vivid memories come alive through the light, impressionistic watercolor techniques on each page that lend itself to the story’s feeling of nostalgia for readers of all ages and cultures.

The story comes full circle, capturing how I process my childhood experiences in order to discover, as an adult, that my senses, thankfully, keep my cherished memories alive forever.

Sharing Grandma’s House with children at home or school, with families or teachers, provides a unique opportunity to encourage them to reflect on their own process and how their own experiences shape their choices and interactions with others. As a mentor text, it can support educators with cross-curricular connections, i.e. the five senses, sensory imagery, memoir and descriptive writing, and social emotional learning discussions. Truly a Read Aloud for all ages. Let’s help children connect through story!

An avid young reader, raised in North Providence, RI, I became a reflective writer in my teens, processing and savoring memories, feelings, and experiences. As a reading specialist for nearly 20 years, I value using story as the one constant innovative practice that remains powerfully instrumental for learners of all ages.

I coined the social media handle @LiteracyChef in 2015 when I realized my passion to read, write and nurture children’s love of story and appreciation for the impact their own story has on their learning process, just had to evolve.

Equally passionate for the culinary arts thanks to Grandma Gambardella, I understand that to be an expert in both areas, I must combine the right ingredients and practices to create a successful recipe—one that reaches many individual palettes and learners. As a result, I am embracing a lifetime of literacy, living to learn, and loving my process.

Find out more about Dana by visiting her website.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the RI Author Expo!

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