Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month
Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month is celebrated during the month of June. It’s a time to go purple, the official color of the Alzheimer's movement, and show support for the millions of people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their care partners, who offer unwavering support.
Alzheimer’s can have a big impact on every member of the family, including children. Each child will react differently to someone who has the disease. The Alzheimer’s Association and Mayo Clinic offer information to help parents or care givers talk with children and teens to understand the disease.
Try books on this list to help children understand this disease.
Picture Books
Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry
Eleven-year-old Sophia endeavors to prevent her increasingly forgetful eighty-eight-year-old neighbor and best friend Sophie from entering assisted living, and in the process, uncovers unexpected stories of war, loss, and hope.
Meatballs for grandpa by Jeanette Fazzari Jones
Making meatballs for Grandpa, who no longer remembers much but loves to help cook, a little girl and her Grandma find cooking together makes more than just a meal as they prepare a savory Italian dinner, in this sensory-rich picture book about food, family and heritage.
Never forget Eleanor by Jason June
Elijah loves spending time with his grandma Eleanor. She knows all the best words to answer tricky crossword puzzles and to tell the most beautiful stories to her family and friends. Everyone calls her 'Never Forget Eleanor' because she remembers every word she reads and person she meets. Lately though, Elijah has started to notice Grandma Eleanor forgetting little things. So when Grandma Eleanor doesn't show up for her Saturday story session, Elijah will need to find a way to use her favorite words and become the storyteller himself to bring her home.
Granny needs my help: a child's look at dementia and Alzheimer's by Deborah L. Mills
Follow the heartwarming tale of emotion and excitement as Zéh discovers what is going on with her granny's brain. This colorful children's picture book gently looks at dementia and Alzheimer's from a child's perspective. Dementia is a growing family issue that affects millions across the world. Granny Needs My Help: A Child's Look at Dementia and Alzheimer's peers into the feelings and confusion little ones can face when a loved one is diagnosed with memory loss like Alzheimer's.
Finding grandma's memories by Jiyeon Park
A tender story about a little girl who helps her grandma with her memory.
What a beautiful morning by Arthur A. Levine
When his grandpa seems to have forgotten how to do the things that they love, Noah's grandma steps in, while Noah tries to find something he can share with his grandpa.
The remember balloons by Jessie Oliveros
James has a bunch of balloons, each of which holds a special memory, but as his grandfather ages and loses his own balloons, James discovers that he is gaining new ones.
Chapter Books
All that's missing by Sarah Sullivan
Secretly providing for himself and a beloved grandfather who is succumbing to dementia, young Arlo is placed in the care of a social worker and runs away to find and connect with his only other family member.
Lucy, with her mother and her photographer father, has just moved to a small rural community in New Hampshire, and with her new friend Nate she plans to spend the summer taking photos for a contest, but pictures sometimes reveal more than people are willing to see.
Teens
An appetite for miracles by Laekan Zea Kemp
With the help of her cousin and their friends, Danna scours the city, searching for her grandfather's favorite foods and hoping the remembered flavors will bring back his memories.
Hour of the bees by Lindsay Eagar
At first, twelve-year-old Carol is not happy to be spending the summer helping her parents move her grandfather to an assisted living home, but as the summer wears on, she finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by his amazing stories.
The fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When her grandfather develops dementia, sixteen-year-old Tess, who has been keeping his Montana ranch going, is whisked away to Washington, D.C., by a sister she barely knows and thrown into a world of politics, power, wealth, love triangles, and family secrets.
The Library is dementia inclusive and offers programs, materials and reminiscing kits to support those living with the disease, their care partners, family members and friends.
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