Every year during the winter holidays, the young narrator’s Grandma flies in to visit, and her aunts and uncles arrive at her house by car with all the cousins. “Every year we play charades, loud and rowdy. Then we light a fire in the fireplace and eat Grandma’s three kinds of pie. That’s what happens every year. It’s tradition.” This year a huge snowstorm disrupts travel plans and it’s just her immediate family members (all are white): Mom, Mama, her brother and her. “Would it even feel like the holidays with just us?” Mom directs them in making stew in the slow cooker (no turkey from Aunt Sarah), and Mama leads them on a hike through the glittering snowy landscape. There aren’t enough people for charades after dinner, but they play cards. “It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t rowdy. But it was kind of fun anyway …” Still, when it’s time for the fire and dessert, the narrator’s lingering disappointment brims over—no pie! A video call to grandma, in which she talks them through making apple crisp, is the perfect salve. “It was just us, but it still felt special.” This entertaining, relatable, emotionally honest story is full of delight in the details while illuminating ways disappointment can sometimes make space for unexpected pleasure, and even new traditions.

How can it be the holidays if everyone isn't together? Relevant and relatable, Just Us will provide comfort and warm hearts at a time of the year when maybe it's needed most.

A fantastic holiday read for ages 3-7 that is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the winter season.

What happens when a storm prevents all the relatives from coming in for the holidays? No Grandma, no aunts, no uncles, no cousins. No fun!

The family will have to adapt their traditions to versions that can be done on a smaller scale--from a more manageable stew dinner, a hike in the snow, or a game of cards instead of rowdy charades. Navigating disappointment with mindfulness and gratitude, the family pieces together a holiday full of new traditions, while still acknowledging that it's okay to miss the old ones.