We watch the fun as Lola’s Nana-Bibi comes to visit. This isn’t just fun for lola but fun for the whole family. Representation of generation’s and black cultures.

Received a copy from NetGalley. A sweet intergenerational book about when Lola's Nana-Bibi comes to visit and brings stories, gifts, recipes, traditions, dances, and love.

This picture book was a little younger than I was expecting, and seems to be from a long series of stories following this character. Neither of these points impacted mine or my little brothers enjoyment of the story though. This was a cute little story of Lola, who's preparing for her grandmothers visit who she doesn't see very often. It depicted family life with a casual beauty- one scene that stood out for me was Lola, her mother and grandmother all braiding each others hair. It was so cute, and I think Black little girls and their families will particularly appreciate it. I enjoyed this cute little book, and will keep my eye out for other titles in the series.

This is a gorgeous story about a family who’s Nana-Bibi comes to stay! Sweet interactions between the family members, lovely displays of culture being share and fun moments together. Loved the illustrations. Gentle, sweet, highlights importance of family. Loved it.

Lola books have become an instant buy for me. This one follows suit, and I will purchase it for the library. I think she is the perfect little character, and I love seeing the series grow. This one introduced Nana, and I loved seeing their day together.

Lola is very excited—her Nana-Bibi is coming to visit. The whole family is excited for her to arrive & together they prepare the room with anticipation. This story is very simple & would be attractive to very young readers who will have the chance to focus on the illustrations & piece together the flow of the story either from experience—anticipating a visitor—or from the story itself.

That said, I could not help but feel that something was missing within this story to add authenticity to the lives we are reading about on the page. Should there have been the inclusion of culture, rather than the hinted notes that Nana-Bibi is coming from abroad—whatever that might mean—I think the story could have worked far better. In one instance, Nana-Bibi is baking her special doughnuts but we do not know why they are special or from where the recipe originates.

The story does not need to become complex in linguistics to highlight some valuable cultural markers, rendering the tale one of grounded sophistication. Is this a story for children who will recognize themselves in the illustrations or one for children who might be from a neighbouring country & may not be familiar with the ‘special doughnuts’? There are ample questions to be posed within this story & because of that, I feel it is lacking.

Certainly, this book may be appreciated by many a reader. It represents the tender feelings of joy one feels when a friendly & warm individual is coming to see us. However, with all books, one writes & draws for the reader, for their complete & utter appreciation & joy—especially when crafting a story for the young.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlesbridge, & Anna McQuinn for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What a beautiful book about our parents and grandparents, and the importance of these relationships. This book has so many positives that it's hard to do them all justice! Lola's Nana-Bibi comes for a visit and spends some time with her daughter and granddaughter, Lola. While she's visiting, Lola sleeps on a pull out bed. Now, I don't know why, but I even find this small detail significant because not every household has a spare room - and I do believe that storybooks can sometimes romanticise real life in an unhealthy way that not every child can relate to. Then, the family go out and have breakfast, before getting some gifts for Nana-Bibi's friends at home. Then they do wholesome (and free) activities together at home like braiding each other's hair and cooking a family recipe and dancing. It's just a lovely book that represents a family who love and respect each other and enjoy quality time together. It also shows children how important our grandparents are, and how we should spend time with them when we can.

What a lovely book! So many grandparent-grandchild picture books focus exclusively on that relationship, but I so appreciated the intergenerational approach here, with Lola's mother having such a strong bond with her own mother. A definite must-buy for our library!

A lovely story about family! Very cute with great illustrations and a simple story perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

Lola is talking about the things that they do when Lola's Nana-Bibi comes to visit. The souvenirs, the shopping, the cooking, and the sharing of time, love, and space create a story of intergenerational love that Lola gets to experience every time her Nana-Bibi comes to visit. A really cute and heartwarming multicultural book on a family that is inclusive and has good visuals. It is part of an ongoing series.


Story: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Worldbuilding: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Thanks to NetGalley, Anna McQuin, Rosalind Beardshaw, and Charlesbridge for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lola's Nana-Bibi Comes to Visit
Anna McQuinn; illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Great for young children understanding cultural differences and accepting that family is family. This books shows the roles of grand parents and grand children. Shows how family connects and reconnects with each visit. The older generation not only showing what they know but how they appreciate life. Artistically it is inclusive, showing multicultural children, parents and grand parents. Showing different dress, and food that a young child can share.

The big-sized fonts, easy-to-understand vocabulary, brief text on each page, and number of pages make this book perfect for early readers. Beardshaw’s illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the story. They are pleasing and appealing and highlight the culture and setting in a fitting manner.

The book’s beauty lies in its simplicity. There is nothing complex or difficult to understand here. McQuinn knows what her young readers want and has adapted the story to their preferences. This is an excellent resource to spread the message of love and teach cultural diversity.

Lola's Nana-Bibi Comes to Visit is a story infused with love, warmth, simplicity, and the beauty of familial ties. It would be a lovely read-out-aloud book, and even pre-schoolers and toddlers would enjoy this story.

"I like this book and I like the pictures and pages. My favorite part was Lola sleeping.  I like the words." - 5 Year Old Reviewer 😊

Lola's Nana-Bibi comes to visit is a cute story about a young girl who has a very special visitor! When Nana-Bibi comes to visit Lola and her family have a wonderful time.  Dancing, baking together, shopping, everything is a little more special with Nana-Bibi.

This is a lighthearted book perfect to read with kids ages 1-5!  The pictures are bright and engaging and the story shows a happy family excited to spend time together.  While reviewing it I read it to my youngest child and he really enjoyed it.

Make sure to check out the other "Lola" books by Anna Quinn!

Favorite Things About This Book:

🌻 A Happy Family
🌻 Uplifting Story
🌻 Bright Illustrations

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Gahhh! This is yet another darling addition to the Lola series and I love the illustrations! Rosalind Beardshaw is SO talented! I love all the traditional dress and head wraps Nana Bibi wears! Would love to know which country she is visiting from.

A lovely book celebrating family, culture and the knowledge that can be passed down from one generation to another. Lola and her family share their experiences with the reader.

Part of the Lola series, in this one she spends time with her grandmother. Great for fans of the series.

This is a very unassuming read, its main purpose being to show a beautiful table of family life. Children of all cultures can see themselves in Lola's happiness but for children who share a cultural or racial identity with Lola, I think this will be a very special read. I did grow up in a Caribbean home where food was part of your identity, and this really spoke to me. I can't help but want it to have some concept to revolve around (other than depicting a happy time in a child's life, I mean) but that's just what I prefer. I think any child would love this story.
- This is part of a long-running series of Lola stories by the author.

This book, part of the Lola series of picture books is an excellent book. The story and words are simple, perfect for young children and new readers alike. The illustrations are gorgeous and really do the work of telling the story and you really feel the warmth and importance of family and family visits through them. Definitely recommend this book be included in any home, school or public children’s book collection/library.

This picture book tells the story of a little girl and her grandmother who comes to visit. During the story the family do several traditional activities like special hairdos and dancing together to share their culture together. The font is large and easy to read, usually black on a light coloured background. The text on each page is short and simple and the pictures aid in comprehension. As a grade 3 teacher, I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-7 range. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Author Anna McQuinn has written over twenty-five picture books, many of which are about Lola. In this book, Lola's Nana-Bibi is coming to visit from Tanzania and Lola is so excited! The week with Nana-Bibi is filled with fun activities, like making her special mandazi doughnuts, dancing and talking about all the things Nana-Bibi used to do with her nana. This is a beautiful book about family, especially grandmothers, mothers and granddaughters. It is charming in particular because of the multi-cultural references since Nana-Bibi lives in Tanzania. The book's familial love and joy spill from the pages and illustrations. It is a wonderful book to teach young children about diversity in cultures yet similarities in families and affection. The Illustrations, by Rosalind Beardshaw, are colorful and evoke some of the beautiful African culture that Nana-Bibi shares with Lola. Thank you to NetGalley, Anna McQuinn, and Charlesbridge Publishing for the ARC of this book.