Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village

Xiao Le's grandmother lives in a faraway village. A visit with Grandma is always a special event, but this time she is frail. With encouragement from his mom, Xiao Le plays with and helps Grandma. When Grandma dies shortly thereafter, Xiao Le comforts his mother reminding her that when it rains, Grandma is washing her clothes in the sky ... and that although the Perfume Village in heaven cannot be reached by train, it can be accessed by the heart. Fang Suzhen s moving story, with stunning illustrations by Sonja Danowski, is a powerful reminder that love transcends all.

Commended for Mildred L. Batchelder Award (Children's) 2016

“"The narrative and illustration both capture the emotional and imaginative world of children with precision and complexity. Adult and children readers alike will be moved by the intricate way the book grapples with issues of aging, sickness, death and the impossible task of saying good-bye to a loved one."- Nan Ma, The International Examiner”

"This is a sad but warm story which can help young children understand that death is a part of life, and that memories we have of our loved ones continue to bring us comfort after they are gone."-- "Five Books"
"Beautiful, realistic color illustrations add a timeless touch to this heartfelt storybook, which is also ideal for bridging difficult discussions with young children about losing loved ones."-- "Midwest Book Review"

Fang Suzhen is a seasoned children's author who emerged onto Taiwan's children's literary circle in 1975, engaging in and creating children's poetry, fairy tales and picture books. Through her many years of promoting reading, she has become affectionately known, to young and old readers alike, as Miss Rumphus, the woman who sows the seeds of reading. Fang Suzhen has written more than two hundred books and has won numerous awards.


Sonja Danowski is a German artist and illustrator. Her work has been selected several times for the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children s Book Fair, and she has received numerous international awards for her art. In 2013, she was honoured with a Gold Medal by the Korean Nami Island Illustration Concours. She lives in Berlin.

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