I Smile for Grandpa: A Loving Story About Dementia Disease for Young Children

I Smile for Grandpa: A Loving Story About Dementia Disease for Young Children is a book that is intended for use by adults with young children in those situations in which a family member is experiencing some form of dementia. To underline that I Smile for Grandpa is not a book that can just be picked up and read “cold” to a child, Guenette begins the work with a page headed “5 Tips for speaking with your child about dementia”. Those who are planning to read I Smile for Grandpa to their child[ren] really need to take some time to reflect on the very practical advice offered in this section and to consider how it applies to their unique situation. Also before reading I Smile for Grandpa to children, adults should spend time with the contents of the closing two-page “10 Questions and Answers for Kids” section that anticipates questions the book’s young listeners might have. Note that the answers are in adult-speak and will need to be translated into more kid-friendly language should the child listener raise one of the questions. Just prior to the Q&A section, there is a one-page letter addressed “Dear Kids” and signed “Jaclyn and Kathryn”. Given that the publisher identifies the book’s audience as “Children Age 2 to 5", this letter and its mature contents seem out of place.

Author Guenette takes a first person before-and-after approach to telling the story, with the excerpt above being the transition point. Like many children, the book’s central child character, aka Little Buddy, has a warm, loving relationship with his grandfather. They play soccer together, take walks, play hide and seek, go family camping, and Grampa even tries to teach Little Buddy how to whistle.

And then comes the day that Little Buddy’s mother shares with him that his grandfather is sick and alerts him to some of the possible changes that might occur in his grandfather’s behavior because of his dementia. Guenette skillfully weaves in a couple questions that a child might immediately have (“Can I get it?” and “Can it be cured?) before providing succinct, reassuring responses. Little Buddy “decide[s] to help by showing Grampa how much I love him.” Guenette retraces some of the shared activities from the book’s “before” section and reveals how things have changed. Grampa now watches his grandson play soccer, and, while the two still go on walks, Daddy now accompanies them. Grampa no longer goes along on family camping trips, but Little Buddy has the memories of their earlier trips. Appropriately, Guenette acknowledges the anger that can be part of the disease, and she includes the fact that dementia is a progressive illness.

In the opening “5 Tips for speaking with your child about dementia”, the second tip, “Give the whole truth”, suggests, “Be open and honest with your child about dementia, in language they can understand.” For pre-readers, illustrations are a visual language, and I question the decision to illustrate the book using anthropomorphic animals, specifically dogs (complete with tails incongruously protruding out of their pants). “Be open and honest” advises Guenette. Because dementia is a human disorder, humans, not dogs, should have been portrayed in the illustrations. In particular, what is lost by utilizing anthropomorphic animals is the ability to show truly human emotions with which the young reader/listener can connect or identify. In short, the use of anthropomorphic animals serves to distance readers from the book’s serious content, thereby detracting significantly from the strength of the text.

I Smile for Grandpa: A Loving Story About Dementia Disease for Young Children is a one-on-one read. When families with young children find themselves in a situation wherein someone’s having dementia is impacting their lives, the thoughtful use of I Smile for Grandpa would be a good starting point in explaining this disorder to younger family members.

Note that a portion of the profits from the sale of I Smile for Grandpa will be donated to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.