I loved the illustrations but there seems to be a disconnect between Grandma's rules and the punishment for breaking said rules. She maybe a little strict, but rules require consequences for breaking them.

This book tells the story of a little boy who can't seem to follow all of his grandmother's rules. When she babysits him for the day she reminds him of rules like no elbows on the table and don't sit in the special chair, but when she goes out shopping and briefly leaves him alone, he forgets the rules and causes havoc, breaking a vase. When grandma returns she explains that even if he breaks rules and vases, he could never break her heart. It shows the love of a grandmother and grandchild and affirms the fact that relationships are more important than things. Additionally, the boy also learns that there might be reasons for rules that he doesn't understand and that it is important to try to follow the rules, otherwise bad consequences may occur.

I think this is a fabulous book to teach children about following rules in a funny way. It also is great for teaching and affirming attachment in children who may have limited biological family relationships (ie. in foster care). As a grade 3 teacher I could see having this book in my classroom library. The font and text is fairly easy to read and though it is spread out over the page (1-2 lines written in each third or so) the pictures tell the story as much as the words do and it should be accessible for readers as young as Kindergarten. I would recommend this book for teachers and families of children in the age 4-9 range. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

In Grandma’s House of Rules, a kid goes to visit his Grandma but she has a lot of rules. While I get where the Grandma is coming from with the rules and boundaries concerning her stuff, she is pretty intense about getting the rules across. The images have her scowling a lot. It feels awkward and uncomfortable and I feel sorry the kid has to spend the day here, because the Grandma doesn’t seem to try and help set him up for success with activities he can do.
My biggest qualm though, is the fact she leaves him home alone. How old is he? Of course chaos ensues but when the Grandma gets back, she seems to have an epiphany that her grandson is more important than things.

Thank you NetGalley and Cicada Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kid spends some time with Grandma. He loves his grandmother but she has a lot of rules at her house. As soon as he arrives Grandma reminds him of the don'ts. Don't touch this, don't move that. This is old so don't sit on this chair. This vase has been in the family for generations so don't get close to that. Of course Grandma has to run an errand and leaves him home alone. Chaos happens. When Grandma returns to a huge mess she doesn't get mad, because she loves her grandson more than things.

This is a nice little story, But it made no sense that after all the rules, Grandma doesn't get more upset when her house is messed up. It's nice that she doesn't, but there's a disconnect in her behavior.