Valencia Family Resource Library Guide: Book Suggestions and Discussion Guides

By Linda Jacobs Altman
Illustrated by Larry Johnson
Lee & Low Books

This story featuring an African American family shares the story of a granddaughter committed to helping her grandmother remember her life through the grandmother’s photos and mementos. Any family considering creating a memory books for their loved one with Alzheimer’s will benefit from this story, especially when used with the instructions in this kit’s Activities Guide. This sweet story with childlike illustration.

By Jessica Shepherd
Illustrated by Jessica Shepherd
Child's Play International

Oscar loves Grandma, and their time together is always lots of fun. As she becomes less able to look after herself, she has to go into a care home. More and more children are encountering dementia and its effects on their families. This touching story, told in Oscar's own words, is a positive and practical tale about the experience. The factual page about dementia helps children talk about their feelings and find new ways to enjoy the changing relationship. Jessica Shepherd's sensitive first picture book has grown out of her experiences in a variety of caring roles.

By Robin Cruise
Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen
Farrar Straus Giroux

This story featuring a Mexican family will be useful for people who celebrate any Latin American traditions, and any family whose loved one with Alzheimer’s lives in their home. Young Lucy tells the story not just of what her Mama forgets, but more importantly of all the things Mama remembers.

By Arthur A. Levine
Illustrated by Katie Kath Running
Press Kids

This story of continuing to appreciate your loved one with Alzheimer’s and embracing your new role in their life will leave you feeling reassured, from the tender story right down to the end papers of the book, which mirror Grandpa’s shirts.

By Veronique Van den Abeele
Illustrated by Claude K. Dubois
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

This positive story with comforting illustrations will be especially helpful if your loved one will be under the care of an assisted living facility in the future. It should be noted that Grandma does look sad, bewildered, and vacant when Alzheimer’s develops in the story, but by the end she appears happy in her new life. At the end of the story, Grandma remembers her special kiss with her grandchild, indicating that she is in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer’s. This message may not be appropriate for children who have loved ones in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, as your loved one may not be able to make such recollections.

By Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrated by Kathryn Brown
Candlewick Press

This rhyming story has fanciful illustrations that are fun to pore over. It is the least sad of all the books, and the rhyming provides some reassurance to kids that this story is like any other. As such, it is perhaps the best story to start with. This book will be especially useful if you’re considering taking your loved one with Alzheimer’s into your home, because the grandson helps grandma before she comes to live with them, and then later she says she especially enjoys the move because she gets to be with him.