Sunday Shopping

In Sunday Shopping, Sunday nights are reserved for Evie and Grandma and their shopping clothes. Snuggled in bed, Evie and Grandma sit together with a pocketbook, ready for a shopping spree! Flipping open the newspaper, the two use their imaginations to tour the neighborhood stores. With their pretend money in tote and scissors in hand, the pair "walks" through the stores and cutting out their purchases along the way. A story of grand imaginations, this book was definitely a memorable favorite!

I was in awe of the imagination that it took to illustrate this book. As the pair moved through the stores, the use of perspective really helps to immerse the reader in the story and tells exactly what is going on. Evie and Grandma's bodies are enlarged and they carry big scissors in their hands. I love how this story is a little bit playful in that what is actually being said in the book is not actually what is happening in the illustrations. We're fooled into thinking that they may actually be shopping with real money, however we recognize the irony when the illustrations are paired with the text.

Another thing I love about this book is the inclusion of a female figure in the army. Evie's mother is overseas, so she "purchase" flowers for her grandmother and places them on her night stand next to the picture of her deployed mother. A great testament to women and members of the armed forces, this book brings those realities into understandable, kid-friendly terms that help bridge a gap for difficult conversations.

Overall, I really loved this book! I think that it took a lot of imagination and it would be perfect to share with students who need some inspiration in their writing.

Sunday Shopping  
By: Sally Derby
Illustrated by: Shadra Strickland
Published in 2015