Grandmother School

Every morning, a young girl walks her grandmother to the Aajibaichi Shala, the school that was built for the grandmothers in her village to have a place to learn to read and write.

The narrator beams with pride as she drops her grandmother off with the other aajis to practice the alphabet and learn simple arithmetic. A moving story about family, women and the power of education—when Aaji learns to spell her name you’ll want to dance along with her.

Women in countless countries continue to endure the limitations of illiteracy. Unjust laws have suppressed the rights of girls and women and kept many from getting an education and equal standing in society. Based on a true story from the village of Phangane, India, this brilliantly illustrated book tells the story of the grandmothers who got to go to school for the first time in their lives.

Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer Grandmother School in two accessible editions. The audiobook features alternate text descriptions of images, including the cover. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Key Selling Points

• Based on a true story from Phangane village in India’s Maharashtra state, where grandmothers attend the Aajibaichi Shala (school for grandmothers). For many of them, this has been their first time in a classroom.
• Explores how important education is, especially for girls and women who have historically been left behind.
• Ellen Rooney’s bright and vivid illustrations shine as this book moves through the effects that the opportunity for education has had on one grandmother.
• The author dedicated this book to her own grandmother, who never had the chance to go to school.
• This book encourages readers to think critically about why education has historically been withheld from women and about gender inequality overall, as well as to consider what basic human rights and needs are.
• Grandmother School was the winner of the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize.