Hello dear friends! There are so many special days on the calendar – but GRANDPARENT’S DAY is a favorite of mine – partly because I am a grandmother…and partly because I have such fond memories of my Grandmother Tina, my mother’s mother – my family lived with her from the time I was 10-years-old – it was amazing to always have her loving presence close by.

I was thrilled when one of my kidlit friends, Debra Daugherty, told me she had a brand-new book that launched in April – I read it and wanted to share it right away but my blog calendar was packed – so, we decided that Grandparents’ Day would be a perfect time to shout out about THE MEMORY JAR.

I love the child agency in this story! When her grandmother begins to forget things and sometimes doesn’t even remember her name, a young girl comes up with a wonderful idea. She writes down all the stories her grandmother had told her about family memories. She folds each piece of paper and puts it in a jar. And then, when she goes to visit her grandmother, she gives her the jar as a present and her grandmother pulls out one paper and reads it and it sparks a happy memory.
What a great activity for kids to do with grandparents and parents – even if there are no problems – but it’s especially helpful if someone in the family suffers from Alzheimer’s or other dementia related diseases. The time to capture these stories is when the person they happened to can still tell them – there are many family stories that I only know part of.

Debra stopped by to share her inspiration for this book:
DEBRA: The inspiration for my story was my Aunt Luella, who had Alzheimer’s. When I sat down to write, I thought of my aunt, and the words flowed. I know she’d be happy and pleased that she inspired this book.

Remember, dear friends, the best way to help an author and illustrator is to:
Buy their books
Review their books
Tell friends about their books (please share this post on social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

And the lovely Debra is generously offering a DOUBLE GIVEAWAY! There will be TWO WINNERS. One person will receive a signed paperback copy of THE MEMORY JAR (U.S. addresses only please). And another winner will receive a PICTURE BOOK CRITIQUE! When you leave your comment, please let us know which you would prefer if you are one of the lucky winners!

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!