Grandma ISBN: 9781846435973
Published by Child's Play (International) Ltd, 2013
The little boy and his grandma are very close. They love playing together and reading stories and sharing special times. But just lately, grandma has begun to be forgetful. She almost forgets her grandson's birthday, and gradually, even though her family try to help as much as possible, dad says she must live somewhere she will be safe. The little boy is very sad and feels lonely when she leaves. On his first visit to grandma's care home, he learns about the place, and we are given a map showing everything he has seen - a map drawn by him. He meets Albert, her new friend who has the room next door, and he also meets all her carers. They have drinks and cupcakes, but he must learn that sometimes grandma can be upset and shout at the people around her, and sometimes she is even cross with the little boy. He finds this very hard, but dad explains that it isn't his fault and that she is confused. The little boy accepts this, but it saddens him. He makes a memory box that he can take when he goes to see her, and together they talk about the happy times they have shared. She can still tell him stories about when she was young, and he knows them 'all by heart'. He learns that it doesn't matter if grandma's day is a good one or a bad one, she's still the 'best grandma in the whole wide world'. This is a lovely, sensitive picture book that will be of great comfort to younger children who are experiencing dementia in a well-loved family member, and the illustrations are quite outstanding. Two pages at the end of the story give questions for talking about and suggestions of things children can do to help.
Age: 4+
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