Forget Me Not

Among many books about Alzheimer's (although the disease is never mentioned by name), Nancy Van Laan's is a standout. She captures in lyrical language the overwhelming sadness for both parties - the family watching the grandmother lose so many of her abilities and the grandmother, who makes excuses because she knows she's losing ground. Young Julia remembered when Grandma did everything just-so when she visited, "but ever so slowly, like a low tide leaving the bay, a change came along. Grandma was becoming more and more forgetful. First it was names - of places she'd been or books she'd read or people she knew. Even us." To anyone who has lived with this disease, this is it exactly. My absolute favorite scene is when Grandma lost her show more car in the parking lot and her son had to come to her rescue. With enough savvy to save face, she tells him: "I knew it was there the whole time. I just wanted to see your handsome face!" Van Laan has lived this to capture this moment. I wept when I read this book.

The ending is as upbeat as it can be, with a pleasant appraisal of assisted living. The only complaint I have with the book is one of ageism. Do the math. If Grandma has a kid at 25, and her kid had a kid at 25, Grandma is only 58. Even if she's 68, that's not the typical age for dementia. While there is early onset, if children read more than one book like, it could cement their view of older people as people who forget. Be sure to couple this kind of book with a book like My Grandma is a Hippie. show less

This is an emotional story of a little girl noticing her grandma become more forgetful over time. As grandma exhibiting signs of dementia , she would sometimes forget the little girl's name. She misses the old time when her grandma would bake her favorite meal, fried chicken and biscuits. The little girl knew that her grandma cannot go back to how she used to be, so she decided to make grandma happy whenever she can. I love that the author uses forget me not flowers all throughout her book. I think it go quite well with her story line and the tittle of the book.

This book was hard for me to read as My grandfather suffered from Alzheimers and taking care of him was not that fun. My grandfather was my best friend, my rock and when we starting forgetting things I had to work harder and make sure everything we perfect for him. in this story depicts a girl telling us about her grandmother and the developing of her full on Alzheimers. It starts with something small and gradually gets bigger and bigger things. This book is perfect to read to a child that have a loved one going through this, so they understand that they are still the same relative just a little more special. My Grandfather would get in my car and repeat the same phrases about my car every time. I would do anything to have him by my show more side, towards the end of his life he never said my name but was knew who I was and for that was enough. show less

A poignant story about a granddaughter watching her grandmother's memory gradually deteriorate to the point that she can longer remember her or care for herself. A perceptive and touching story about unconditional love.

This book is about a young girl whose grandmother starts to lose her memory. She used to spend tons of time with her grandmother, but it starts to become difficult when she is diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. She finds that her grandmother does not remember her name, things they've done together, or even where she is, and her grandmother is put in a home. She is hopeful that if she brings her forget-me-not flowers like they used to pick together, she will remember her granddaughter. This book can be very helpful to children facing a grandparent or someone in their life with Alzheimer's disease.

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