School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Through the eyes of a little girl, readers meet an aging grandfather who struggles with dementia. Grandpa's disease, which has impacted his family, is hard for the girl to fully understand. The girl's mother explains that Grandpa sometimes gets confused and can't remember everything as he used to, such as the day that they watched the tide come in at the beach. The mother and the girl agree that this must be very frustrating. The girl vows to help her grandpa when he needs it. She holds his hand at the beach, and they build forts and castles and eat ice cream as they watch the tide come in. Grandpa's memories are like the tide, Mommy says. Sometimes, they are near and full of life, and other times, they're distant and quiet. But no matter what, she will always love Grandpa, and she knows that he loves her, too. Welsh gently explores a terribly complex disease that affects many people, making it simple enough for children of all ages to understand. The text is complemented by bright, whimsical, and simply stunning illustrations, coming together to create the soft and safe world of a family doing their best to help a loved one with dementia live well. VERDICT This title is a careful and thoughtful approach to -dementia for an audience of all ages.--Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a poignant story about accepting a loved one's dementia, a girl with long, cherry-colored hair tries to understand that her gentle, mustachioed grandfather sometimes becomes confused: "Mommy says Grandpa's memories are like the tide"-sometimes "near and full of life," other times "distant and quiet." During a day at the beach, the girl and Grandpa build sand castles and search for sea stars. But when it's time for lunch, Grandpa mistakenly buries the sandwiches in the sand (she wonders "but where are all the sandwiches?"). The girl empathizes with her elderly relative by remembering times when she, too, forgot things: how to tie her shoes, and "the time I buried Polar Bear, and Mommy helped me find him." Lindsay fills her seaside images with warm, fruity color tones that conjure feelings of kinship and comfort rather than absence and despair. No one is ever truly lost, Welsh suggests, so long as they are loved by those around them. Ages 3-7. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.