Wonderful book in a lot of ways, but why is it always called the grandmother's or mother's kitchen? What about the grandfathers and especially the father? Particularly jarring for a young family today. ( )

Once a year, the young narrator's family packs into their car and drives for hours, from the city where they live to rural West Virginia, where Mawmaw and Pawpaw - her father's parents - live. The girl notices the decorations inside the house, the landscape outside the house, and the similarities between her father and his father. After three days, they pack into the car again and drive until they get to Florida, where her mother's parents live. Again, the girl - and the reader - notices the different climate, food, music, and family customs. Finally, the family returns home, where their inherited traditions blend and create new ones. ( )