On Mondays a little girl visits her grandmother who ‘is older than computers! There are some days that her grandma walks very slowly up steps. ‘I hold her hand to keep her safe. My little hand on Grandma’s old hand, wrinkled and sure.’

On some Mondays it is cake day, so they go straight to the kitchen. Together they make Grandma’s special cake together. Grandma calls this special cake her ‘everything cake’. Loving hands have been making this cake over many years as it has been passed down from the little girl’s great, great grandmother to her grandmother. ‘The recipe is covered in blibs and blobs.’ This cake is ‘golden and scrumpti-licious’ and there is always enough for everybody.

Together they gather all the things they need. ‘Three smooth eggs, two fat round lemons, a square of butter waiting to get smooshy and warm.’

As Grandma ties her apron her ‘eyebrows wobble’. When Grandma forgets, the little girl feels ‘wooshy inside’. She worries that she might forget to water the garden or feed the magpie every morning. But she pitches in and puts her finger on the recipe to show grandma where to start.

As they make the recipe together, they share the joy and love of cooking and being together. They roll the lemons on the bench to make them extra juicy. They sift the flour using her grandma’s sifter, turning the handle so slowly as it’s very, very old. The flour ‘puffs like snow’. Finally, they add the secret ingredients including a handful of coconut. They stir three times for love.

This book brought tears to my eyes as it welcomed memories from my childhood and now watching little ones spend time with my mother. It’s beautifully written with every word perfect. The illustrations are soft and warm yet colourful and light. They bring to life the sense of love and happiness these two share.

To Stir with Love reminds us of the small things, the importance of the quality time we spend with our grandmothers. This is the joy of having a connection with those we love. So simple yet so beautiful.

There’s space in the back of the book to record your own special recipe but also Grandma’s recipe that we can make ourselves. What recipe do you make with someone special in your life?

Borrow it, or buy it.

Reviewed by Jane Stephens

Age Guide 4+