Bad Nana is not like Jeanie’s other grandparents. Bad Nana is often up to no good, but she is always good fun. Bad Nana wears a lot of black, and has a pink cat named Liberace. She’s been known to cause disruptions at line-dancing club, and, with a whoopee cushion among the surprises in her enormous black handbag, she loves nothing more than to pull off hilarious pranks at the expense of bullies and bores.

This book has a really cool, highlighter pink and black colour scheme that reflects Bad Nana’s punk style and her love of a little pink flair (on super-special occasions Bad Nana likes to wear her sparkly pink turban). The illustrations are bold and the text design is exciting; it all looks very fresh and appealing. Bad Nana is great fun to read together, perhaps with a favourite, cheeky grandparent, and is also perfect for budding independent readers aged 6–8.

Kim Gruschow is the children’s book buyer at Readings St Kilda.