A young girl takes her great-uncle, who is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, for a walk and gently and patiently answers all his seemingly absurd questions.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Great-Uncle Alfred Forgets is a picture book about Alzheimer's disease. That may sound like something of an oxymoron, but this book for 4- to 8-year-olds uses nicely rendered illustrations and simple text to tell the tale of Great-Uncle Alfred, who thinks it's Christmas in the middle of summer, and who wonders why the wind blew away the hat that he wasn't actually wearing. A gentle, slightly confused man, he loves to tell stories of long age to his grand-niece Emily, whom he calls Alice. While the book doesn't suggest the greater difficulties that lie ahead for Great-Uncle Alfred, it does offer a useful primer of sorts for children with relatives entering into the early stages of Alzheimer's.
From Publishers Weekly
Unlike the uncertain purport of Alan Arkin's Some Fine Grandpa! (reviewed Aug. 28), which treats similar themes, the message here is clear-and poignantly delivered. When Emily visits her great-uncle, he is busy decorating a Christmas tree, and Emily must remind him what her name is, find his shoes and tie the laces before they can go for a walk. When he asks if he needs his coat, the child replies that it is hot outside ("Hot? Isn't it Christmas?" he asks. "But what happened to winter? What happened to spring?"). The man's confusion grows even more apparent-until Emily asks him to tell her a story of his childhood, which he recalls with unmistakable clarity. Relaying his gentle, touching narrative almost entirely in dialogue, Shecter (When Will the Snow Trees Grow?) never once mentions the Alzheimer's disease from which Alfred obviously suffers. He thus wisely avoids any hint of the didactic, though adults may need to supplement the story if children are to appreciate its gist fully. The deep-toned, impressionistic art is effectively-and fittingly-hazy. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gives a childlike view to chatting with an Alzheimers victim,
By A Customer
This review is from: Great-Uncle Alfred Forgets (Hardcover)
This beautifully illustrated book shows a young child and her great uncle Alfred trying to understand one another through the Alzheimer's way of thinking. Although written for the child who notices their loved one is different, it can also help other loved ones learn how to respond to the quirkiness of Alzheimer's. It gives a gentle sort of peace as you go through the pages, reminding us that not all of the person is gone . . .just bits and pieces. I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with Alzheimer's, not just children.
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