Jiyeon Pak

Picture Book
2019

I picked this book because last year my grandma became terminally ill. In November, she passed away, but shortly before that, her memory was starting to slip. I knew how hard dealing with all that was for me, as an adult, and I wondered how it would come across in a children's book. Granted, this grandma is not terminally ill, just beginning to lose her memories, but I wanted to see how that was illustrated in a children's book. As well, I liked that the focus was on the oldest and youngest in the family. Showing that special bonds exist not just between children and their parents, but also between children and other members of the family - in this instance, grandparents.

On the inside cover, there are pictures of food, flowers, and vintage flatware. This instantly reminded me of my own grandma, who loved to cook, had all of the same dishware I remembered from childhood, and loved to garden. It instantly made me feel at ease and nostalgic.

The little girl talks about how she loves going to her grandma's house and having tea and how all the teacups are on a special shelf. She talks about sitting with her grandma, talking about her day and recounting old memories from when her grandma was a child. This, again, reminded me of my grandma. As I spent endless hours and days with her over the summers and went to her house with my family every Sunday - we still do this even now. The girl starts to discuss how her grandma would start forgetting small things - like putting her glasses in the refrigerator, overflowing the sink, forgetting names, etc. When she tells her parents, they explain that her grandmother is losing her memory, yet, the girl really wants to help her. She devises a plan - with her grandma's help - to put signs on the fridge, near the cat's food, on the sink, as little reminders to help her grandma through the day. While they sometimes work and sometimes don't, the girl is happy for the time she gets to spend with her grandma.

There is also an underlying diversity theme. It is very subtle. In the illustrations, we see that the grandmother is white, the child is light brown, the father is a darker brown, and the mother is pale white. This does not get brought up in any other way than the illustrations, however, it is there and showing that all different types of families exist and deal with similar problems.… (meer)