From School Library
Journal
Kindergarten-Grade
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.-Kirsten
Cutler, Sonoma Library,
CA
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