Please click on images and they will enlarge.
School Library Journal
“K-Gr 3-Swirling, dancing colors, both muted and sunny, accompany
this lyrical story about a boy whose grandmother has Alzheimer's disease. The young
narrator doesn't like to visit Grandma Ronnie now that she is in a home and no longer
recognizes him. The book also showcases the poignant process that moves the boy toward
an understanding and acceptance of his different yet still beloved relative. The
boy declares "I don't like it here!-It smells funny- there are old people everywhere."
His mother says, "Their eyes light up when you come." When he complains that his
grandmother "doesn't even like our favorite cookies," his mother gently reminds him
that "Grandma Ronnie used to make those cookies for you....It was her gift of love
for her favorite grandson." Oil paintings reveal clear, expressive faces on soft,
fluid backgrounds that breathe action. In one exuberant picture of happier times,
the boy and his grandmother dance together, and she says, "A young man needs to know
how to dance if he wants to get himself a girl." This metaphor of dance then symbolically
carries through to a very touching ending in which the boy dances with his now wheelchair-bound
grandmother. All libraries will want to buy one or more copies of this book.”
Chirldren’s Literature
“Grandma Ronnie is not in her own home anymore. Her grandson misses the fun times that they shared. They would mix cookie dough, then dance to jitterbug music while the cookies baked in the oven. Oh, how Grandma Ronnie loved to dance! But now, Grandma is in a strange place with many other old people. She sits in a wheelchair all day and does not remember her grandson nor their favorite cookies. She has moved into past memories from before his birth. She continues to have one strong memory—she loves to dance. One day her grandson and his mom arrive to find the tables in the dining room pushed against the wall. A band is playing jazzy music and Grandma is swaying to the rhythm. When they approach her, she looks up and reminds them, "Oh, how I love to dance!" Her grandson grabs the handles of her wheelchair and moves her right to the front of the room next to the band. He holds her hands and swirls her around in time to the music. Johnson's pastel paintings fill the pages, evoking a sense of joy and action which offsets the serious tone of the story. A good choice for sharing with children who are trying to understand a relative with some form of dementia.”
Member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
All images on this page are copyrighted by Layne Johnson
and may not be copied or
reproduced in any form without written permission.
