Life Is Beautiful

A “soul-stirring opportunity for joyful reflection” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about a little girl who loses her grandmother and how, even in the midst of sadness and loss, life is beautiful.

Every week, Granny Dee takes three trains and one bus to have a weekend full of TV-watching, bubble-bathing, nail-painting, day-tripping, and living LIFE with her granddaughter. Granny Dee always says, “Everybody should enjoy life. Life is beautiful.”

Until one weekend Granny Dee doesn’t come, and Momma says she’s getting too old for trains and buses. So week after week, the little girl and her momma go to her instead. Then, one Sunday morning, Granny Dee dies. Can Momma and the little girl still find beauty in life while missing someone they loved?

Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, teacher by trade and at heart, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, with more than fifteen years of teaching experience, as well as an MFA in writing for children and young adults. Her books include the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book Soul Food Sunday, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza; The Walk (A Stroll to the Poll), illustrated by E. B. Lewis; and Life Is Beautiful, illustrated by Molly Mendoza. You can find her at BinghamWrites.com.

Molly Mendoza is an American illustrator and comic artist who graduated from Pacific Northwest College of Art. They have illustrated picture books including Freedom, We Sing by Amyra León and Life Is Beautiful by Winsome Bingham and have worked with clients such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Wired, among others. They currently live in Portland, Oregon. Visit them at MollyMendoza.com.