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Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake

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Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake
by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
Henry Holt, 2012.  Unpaged.   Picture Book

     When Grammy Lamby comes to visit, Larry Lamby keeps a big secret to himself:  he doesn't always like when Grammy Lamby comes to visit. Grammy loves Larry, though, and gives him a secret handshake.  Three (hard) squeezes mean "I love you." Larry Lamby is embarrassed by how cute Grammy Lamby thinks he is in his new pajamas.  He's even more embarrassed by how loudly she sings in church, and by the enormous hat she wears when they go. But one day a terrible summer storm hits just before Grammy leaves.  She repairs the roof, which has a big hole in it, and she made South Sea soup and Tanzanian turnovers.  After Larry's house is fixed, she ranges around the valley, helping everyone else.  And she tells great stories about pirates and mermaids. When Grammy Lamby leaves, she asks Larry for the secret handshake, but he refuses.  Instead, he squeezes her hand four times, for "I love you, too!"  A delightful story about coming to know and then coming around, and about grammies and grampies of every sort.
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