Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs
dePaola, T. (1998). Nana upstairs & nana downstairs. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
ISBN: 0399231080
ISBN: 9780399231087
“Nana upstairs & Nana downstairs” is a story about death. Tommy would go visit his grandparents (they all lived in the same house) every Sunday afternoon. He would play games and eat candy with his great grandmother (Nana upstairs), while his grandmother (Nana downstairs) would bake sweet treats for him. Then one night, when Tommy was only 4 years old, Nana upstairs passed away. Tommy was very upset. Then when Tommy was all grown up his Nana downstairs passed away.
I would use it for 3-5 year olds as the illustrations are soft and simple, and the language used is simple and short enough that their attention will not be lost.
Soft colours were used for the illustrations to evoke very sweet and then sad emotions. The soft coloured illustrations help to portray the gentleness with which to approach the subject of death.
As this book is about death, we do not want to provoke or extend it as it can be a very touchy subject for children in your centre that may have experienced death of either a pet or a family member. If there is a child in your centre that has just experienced the death of a grandparent, this book would be very appropriate to either read with them alone or with a very small group of children. When you read it you want to keep your voice calm and soft, to keep with the mood of the book. You also want to pick a very soft part of the room, like a couch or a place with pillows on the floor. Give the children an opportunity, either during the story, if they really feel like they need to, or after the story, to talk about their experience with death.
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