What an absolutely delightful book!

Spend a day with Anna-Marie as she works in the corner grocery store her Nonno and Nonna own; see the customers, the lovely produce [that Anna-Marie helps put in lovely stacks], the amazing sandwiches that Nonno makes for the neighborhood, and all the things that happen during the day at the store. Even though it is a lot of hard work, there is fun too, as well as lots of love.

A lovely story with charming illustrations, tis is an amazing little book that is not to be missed.

Loved it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Joanne Schwartz, Laura Beingesson - Illustrator, and Tundra Book Group/Tundra Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Our Corner Grocery Store harkens to classic books, opening another world for the reader to experience—a micro community. While many people go to corner stores, they may never have experienced the work and the life of the people who own their local store. From opening to closing to the last customer, this sweet picture book shows us the life of the grandparents and granddaughter who work and cook and eat with their customers. And the customers are often friends as well. The illustrations are vibrant but somehow subdued at the same time. I love all of the sweet details of produce and art supplies. Never forget to hone in on the little corners of the store.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This hand drawn style picture book follows a young kid helping at their grandparents’ community corner store for the day. They put out the produce, receive deliveries, see their friends, help in the shop, and encounter their neighborhood regulars. A simple story of a simple day with simple interactions that kids can follow along with.

This is a great book to read aloud.
Small towns and neighborhoods on both sides of the Atlantic still have family-owned grocery stores in places where supermarkets aren't interested in invading. This lovely book shows how the store carries a wide assortment of things and demonstrates what the owners do to keep it ready for shoppers. We see the neighborhood and the family as the day goes on and even a few words in Italian that are easily understood. Wonderful!
The illustrations by Laura Beingessner are intricate, brilliantly colorful, and fun.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library! Pub Date Sep 02, 2025
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected galley proof from Tundra Book Group | Tundra Books via NetGalley. ***** #review #goodreads #storygraph #NetGalley @librarythingofficial #OurCornerGroceryStore by Joanne Schwartz @joanneschwartz11 and illustrated by @laurabeingessner @tundrabooks @penguinrandomca #kidlit #picturebooks #Canadianauthors #childrensbookillustration @childrensbookcouncil #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk @indigo #kidsbooks #Canada #foodstore #family #readtome

This is a Children's Book I read to my twin boys. I really enjoyed this book, and I found it cute and fun to read. I loved the pictures in this book. My boys also enjoyed this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

This is a super cute story about an Italian family who own a corner store. Their granddaughter comes every Saturday to help.
It shares the story of what it looks like to have a small family store that is ran all day long without any hired help and how close they are with their community because of their store.
Very cute book! I am shocked that I do not have a copy of this in my school's library! This is one the students would love.

What a pleasant book, and as an adult, quite nostalgic seeing the operation of a small grocery store while spending time with grandparents that own the store.

If you ever pass by a corner grocery store and wonder what the owners’ day is like, among the piles of fresh food and jars of candies, this is a book for you.

Anna enjoys helping her nonno and nonna at their corner store every Saturday. She sorts freshly delivered bread on the shelf, piles vegetables and fruits into neat rows, and helps bag groceries at peak hours.

Every moment in the shop is eventful: the lunch crowd for Nonno’s sandwiches, groups of children coming to buy candies, helping Nonna to make dinner, the crowd of late shoppers.

I enjoyed every page of this story, revealing the familiar, yet also surprising, scenes of a corner grocery store, that could be in any one of our neighborhoods.

Thank you for Tundra Books for the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

That was seriously the cutest thing I've ever read from
a child book. The story was cute and the artwork was
pretty... I really enjoyed it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7446705537

A fun, sweet read with all the nostalgic feels. It certainly inspires one to seek out local grocers, as well as gives young ones a glimpse of an alternative pace of life. I feel the story might be a bit slow for kids, but the vibrant detailed illustrations offer a lot to look at for busy little ones.

I liked that this book was different from your average children’s book. It speaks about different items, fruits and vegetables that your child can find while shopping with you. And the added Italian was a very nice touch! Brings me back to my younger days when I would beg my parents to take me to the local Italian shop for their amazing sandwiches!

The illustrations were great in this book too. Easy to understand what was going on. My only gripe with this book would be that I’m not sure it’s really meant for children under 5. It’s just a tad long in my opinion and with the small usage of Italian I’m not sure it would hold the little one’s attention. I teach preschool and have two littles and that’s just my opinion of course! All in all recommend this book for any little grocery store enthusiast!

This is a cozy story of a young girl and her grandparents on a typical day in their family business, a corner grocery store. I love the hints of Italian culture with the names, a few Italian words and way of doing things. I do think it would have been nice to add that so children would understand the references as they would easily miss it but it is a nice learning opportunity. I love the relationship portrayed between the main character and her grandparents, you can see how much they love each other through the story. My favorite image was the one depicting the wink in the candy scene. Peep the orange kitty in all the photos if you missed that! Overall, I do recommend this book and would suggest it for readers 7 and under. Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House, for this ARC of this picture book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tundra Books for the advanced reader copy of this adorable children’s book. This book felt like a book from my childhood that had very similar illustrations. It reminds me of so many corner stores I’ve stopped into with kids sitting behind the counter doing homework, and regulars sitting out front.

This is a very lovely story about a family who owns a corner grocery store and their comings and goings. Nice illustrations as well.

This is a very sweet book that shows what a Saturday in the life of an Italian girl, Anna Maria, and her grandparents, Nonno Domenico and Nonna Rosa, as they work at their tiny corner grocery store. They stack fruits, sell sandwiches, and Anna Maria even helps her grandparents during rush hour. She always has a fun and busy day helping her grandparents at their store. This book would be good to teach similes, imagery, or even just about different communities in a neighborhood. Such a sweet tribute to the authors experiences!

This is being re-released for its 16th anniversary with a new cover. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely story about a young girl helping with her grandparents corner store. Gives a great sense of community and full of charming images!

Our Corner Grocery Store has sweet, captivating illustrations and a lot of potential, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. While it's a great way to introduce kids to a different culture and teach kindness and community, the story felt a bit slow and might not hold the attention of younger children. The stuffed mushroom recipe is a nice touch and could be fun for kids to try at home. Overall, it’s a lovely idea, but it could use a bit more excitement to really engage little readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joanne Schwartz, and Tundra Books for an eARC.

This is a sweet picture book that has a nostalgic feel; it's about an Italian American family's grocery store. The shop is clearly a bit of a community hub, or at least a popular spot, and the young narrator feels a sense of home, belonging, and pride there. The illustrations are lovely and detailed.

This story is beautifully illustrated depiction of Anna Maria's Saturday working with her grandparents in their corner grocery store. Simple but fun. Highlights the hard working nature of those in small business.

Walk through Anna Maria's day as she helps her grandparents move through a typical Saturday in their corner grocery store. The book pauses to appreciate so many aspects of a single ordinary day, and will especially please readers who love food, family, and Italian culture. This would be an excellent read-aloud for children learning about descriptive narrative: a book that celebrates the simple things in clear, vivid language. I only wish the last page hadn't said that the grocery would open again tomorrow (Sunday). It was nicer to imagine Anna Maria and her grandparents having a day to rest after their wonderfully busy week!