You will not find any sweet little white-haired grannies snoozing in their rocking chairs all day in Eric Veille’s Encylopedia of Grannies. His spunky grannies lead much more interesting lives.
And instead of the facts and figures you normally find in an encyclopedia, he filled this one with comical drawings.
His grannies do knit: but not just cardigans. They create camel-hump covers, wigs for snowmen, socks for cats and covers for lovers.
When they are bored they put on their slippers and backpacks and take off to have adventures in faraway places like Senegal and Martinique. And they even keep their slippers on when they climb Machu Picchu! When they get hungry on the way, a pastry slips down nicely.
His grannies have minds of their own and do whatever they like with their hair – and quite right, says Eric. Their over-the-top hairstyles are shaped like a fan, a tower, a waterfall and a tea cosy.
He says there are days, although pretty unusual, that grannies can sometimes be sad or in a bad mood. Maybe it’s because they are fed up with being old. But there are plenty of ways grandchildren can make a grannie feel better, like drawing her a chicken, scratching her back, putting her hair in pigtails or playing her a bit of Rachmaninov.
Eric’s grannies are special because they are the only people who always have time to laugh with their friends, are tempted by cream buns, and give their grandchildren cuddles. There is a lot more to discover in Eric’s Encyclopedia of Grannies such as why grannies have creases, what kind of nicknames they have and why they love travelling on buses.
I rather think the grannies in his Encylopedia are great role models. Never mind the wrinkles, we should live a little more on the wild side and enjoy each moment. And those grannies who don’t take themselves too seriously could easily be persuaded to share this hilarious book with their grandchildren.
Encyclopedia of Grannies is by Eric Veille, Published by Gecko Press, RRP $29.99
Reviews by Lyn Potter
Parent and grandparent, Avid traveller, writer & passionate home cook
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