A Picture Book About Time, Love, and Being Grand
By R. Bronte Brown
FMF: Longing
My Gran: The Grandest in the Universe grew out of a longing I’ve felt at every stage of family life. As a child, I knew the freedom of being fully present. As a parent, I experienced the intensity and exhaustion of raising children. As a grandparent, I discovered a gentler joy, one rooted in time, patience, and deep love.
This story reflects my memories of childhood, raising my own children, and now watching my grandchildren grow. Each stage carries its own kind of joy and its own kind of loss. Childhood passes. Children grow. Grandchildren leave, and the house grows quiet again.
In today’s fast-paced world, time with family often feels rushed and fragmented. This book imagines a space where time slows down, where generations overlap, and where love is not measured by clocks or schedules.
At its heart, this story explores how families both fulfill us and awaken longing, a longing for what has been, what is fleeting, and what endures beyond time. For me, that longing ultimately points heavenward, toward a love that is complete, unhurried, and eternal.
This story is on submission and may not be reproduce, sold or used in any commercial avenue.
Page 4: Dedication
Grandbabies create—
a rite of passage
where parents become
Grand.
Title Page 5
My Gran: The Grandest in the Universe
A Picture Book About Time, Love, and Being Grand
By: Rhonda Brown
Spread 1: Page 6-7 (Hook)
My Gran is the grandest.
She's my shining star.
Hi, I’m Annaleigh
Page 7 (Surprise)
My Gran is an alien.
Oh, not the kind from outer space.
She’s from another time and place.
Mom calls it yesteryears.
Tick-Tock / Tock-Tick
Spread 2: Page 8-9 (Time Shift)
At Gran’s house, time slows down
and busyness disappears.
The old and the new blend
in a cosmic way.
Tock-Tock-Tock
Both the past and present are a part of who I am,
and that makes me special.
Gran's phone sits holstered.
But I'm never bored.
I made the mistake of saying so once.
(Illustration: Annaleigh whispering to the reader)
Spread 3 Pages 10-11 (Action +Play)
Gran swished me off to hunt for hidden treasures
with only one clue.
Gran calls it The Boardroom Challenge.
I call it serious business.
Spread 4: Pages 12-13 (Imagination + Games)
The Boardroom Challenge:
What lies beyond its borders takes wit and cunning to master.
Yet, the cleverest of braves find a way to contend
with the game-meister.
Enter here.
Gran is the game wizard,
and I'm the assigned scorekeeper.
We battle with carriers, crazy eights, and checkers.
With a bit of strategy and luck, I win.
I am a whiz-kid at checkers. "Crown me!"
Spread 5: Pages 14-15 (Signature Moment)
But when it comes to marbles,
Gran exists in a world all her own.
Her marbles have names:
Galaxy. Stardust. Blue Ice. Jupiter. Pearl!
We set the playing field—
then disrupt the universe.
She is the brightest star in the universe.
Spread 6: Pages 16-17 (Time Rules)
At Gran's house,
we follow rules for time and space,
but not in any particular order.
We buckle up, watch the moon rise,
ride through meteor showers,
and watch the sun peek over the horizon.
We sleep till noon.
Spread 7: Page 18-19 (Food = Joy + Control)
Breakfast may come for dinner,
dinner for lunch,
and a snack for supper.
The best thing?
I choose my veggies—
cooked or raw,
with my favorite dipping sauce
and sweet corn on the cob.
I flatten my pizza dough into a moon-shaped disc.
Then add my favorite toppings:
pizza sauce, cheesy cheese,
and a pepperoni moon face.
No onions, please.
How cool is that!
Spread 8: Pages 20-21 (Ritual + Sound)
Peel, double whop- POP!
My job is to open the biscuit can,
lay each biscuit on the cutting board,
and slice it in half with a butter knife.
Gran fries them up, light and golden.
I sprinkle stardust—
crispy and warm.
Yum!
Spread 9: Pages 22-23
Other rules are hard to remember:
I forget to brush my teeth
or hang the towel after a shower,
or wash my hands with soap.
Growing up means learning something new every day.
I mess up. I'm sad when I do.
Yet-
Spread 10: Pages 24-25 (Reassurance)
Gran's shoulder is there
to remind me that growing up takes time.
I can't do it all at once.
Sweetest Gran in the universe.
Spread 11: Pages 26-27
Gran says quirky things like,
"Spots on leopards don't change."
“Good manners are free."
Never leave the house without putting on your face.
I don’t always get it.
Gran says my face is perfect.
I'm always good to go.
I'm cool with that.
Spread 12: Pages 28-29 (Love Made Visible)
"Yeah, Mom's here."
Mom sees smudges shining on the glass door.
"Uh-oh!"
Gran and I made those flowers
with hot-air breaths and glittered fingertips.
They sparkle like a prism bouquet in the sunlight.
Mom grabs the window cleaner.
“Leave them there,” Gran says.
“Annaleigh made those for me.”
I am loved.
Spread 13: Pages 30-31 (Generational Time)
We sit and watch old movies together.
Is that me?
No!
It's Mamma giggling
with Granny Sue
swinging from my tree.
Tock-Tock-Tick
Spread 14: Pages 32-33 (Goodbye)
Time resets.
The clock chimes.
Time to go.
Hugs and kisses
and sweet goodbyes.
"See you soon, Gran,"
I say with one last hug.
Spread 15: Pages 34-35 (Understanding)
As we head back to my everyday world,
a question pops into my head.
“Mom, why do you say Gran is an alien?”
“That’s bits of silliness, dear.
Gran said the same thing about Granny Sue.
Granny Sue and I were best buddies—
like you and Gran.
Grandparents have a special love
for their grandchildren.”
Spread 16: Pages 36-37 (Resolution)
“Now I understand.
Parents are parents,” I say,
“and Gran is Grand.”
Both the past and present are part of who I am.
And that makes me special.
One day, I hope to be an alien
just like my Gran.
Final Spread: 38-39 (Echo Ending)
Grandbabies create—
a rite of passage
for parents to become
Grand.
An alien kind of love.
6 responses to “My Gran is the Grandest in the Universe”
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I’ve noticed the same thing. When I click on the link I get a message that the page did not exist. I had to actually go to your blog and do a search for the title and it took me here, which I’m not sure is actually what you intended to post. It looks like a draft to a children’s book you wrote. I did enjoy reading it though.
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That was my fault…It had an error in the title and would not let me correct it, so it is reloaded to the right of it. . I’m checking with WordPress because last week someone couldn’t access the upload. Please let me know if it happens again.
The word for today was longing. Longing, time spent with family and how it is lost in today’s world. I wrote this story with memories of my childhood, my childrens and my grandchildren. I remember the fun I had as a child, raising my kids and the ease of having grandchildren. Families fulfill and create longing. I think it is representative of longing for heaven.
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My Gran: The Grandest in the Universe grew out of a longing I’ve felt at every stage of family life. As a child, I knew the freedom of being fully present. As a parent, I experienced the intensity and exhaustion of raising children. As a grandparent, I discovered a gentler joy—one rooted in time, patience, and deep love.
This story reflects my memories of childhood, raising my own children, and now watching my grandchildren grow. Each stage carries its own kind of joy—and its own kind of loss. Childhood passes. Children grow. Grandchildren leave, and the house grows quiet again.
In today’s fast-paced world, time with family often feels rushed and fragmented. This book imagines a space where time slows down, where generations overlap, and where love is not measured by clocks or schedules.
At its heart, this story explores how families both fulfill us and awaken longing—longing for what has been, what is fleeting, and what endures beyond time. For me, that longing ultimately points heavenward, toward a love that is complete, unhurried, and eternal.
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