grandparents | VIVIAN KIRKFIELD – Writer for Children

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I’ve been away, visiting family in Chicago…came back for a few days…and this weekend I am off to Tom’s River, New Jersey, to stay for a week with my best friend of 70 years. We will definitely be remembering all the good times we had over the years. And with that thought in mind, I decided that Jessie Oliveros’ debut picture book, THE REMEMBER BALLOONS, would be the perfect book to review today!

cover

THE REMEMBER BALLOONS

Written by Jessie Oliveros

Illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte

Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (August 28, 2018)

Ages: 5-8

Themes: Alzheimer’s, dementia, grandparents

Synopsis: From Amazon: What’s Happening to Grandpa meets Up in this tender, sensitive picture book that gently explains the memory loss associated with aging and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

James’s Grandpa has the best balloons because he has the best memories. He has balloons showing Dad when he was young and Grandma when they were married. Grandpa has balloons about camping and Aunt Nelle’s poor cow. Grandpa also has a silver balloon filled with the memory of a fishing trip he and James took together.

But when Grandpa’s balloons begin to float away, James is heartbroken. No matter how hard he runs, James can’t catch them. One day, Grandpa lets go of the silver balloon—and he doesn’t even notice!

Grandpa no longer has balloons of his own. But James has many more than before. It’s up to him to share those balloons, one by one.

Why I like this book:

Heartfelt text helps young kids grasp how we build memories as we grow up…and how some of us lose memories as we get older…this is a difficult concept for children…but using the various color balloons to signify memories was a stroke of genius.
Wonderful illustrations with diverse characters – the color palette is reserved for the balloons which is extremely effective in highlighting the importance of memories.
Many children are impacted when grandparents or other relatives suffer from Alzheimers or other memory-robbing diseases…reading this book will provide parents and teachers with a great opportunity to talk with kids about the problem.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

BALLOON CRAFTS AND GAMES

balloon-activities-for-kids-433x650 Photo courtesy: https://handsonaswegrow.com

For detailed instructions: https://handsonaswegrow.com/28-ways-to-play-with-balloons/

Multigenerational activities are good for the young and the old: https://www.familyeducation.com/videos/12-great-activities-grandparents-grandchildren

Thank you so much for stopping by, dear friends. I’m always grateful for your comments and your company. It’s hard to believe the summer is in it’s final days…have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.

In honor of Father’s Day (which is next Sunday, June 16), I was asked to contribute to Bob Brody’s Letters to My Kids blog.

Bob is passionate about encouraging parents to write letters to their kids to share family stories…this helps kids gain a sense of self-worth and a stronger parent-child bond.

Here is the link for the Father’s Day post: http://letterstomykidsdotorg.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/fathers-day-guest-columnist-vivian-kirkfield-never-enough-but-always-plenty/

I also participated on Bob’s blog for Mother’s Day and wrote a letter to my children about my own mother: http://letterstomykidsdotorg.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/guest-columnist-vivian-kirkfield-the-grandmother-you-hardly-knew/

When and what should parents write letters to their kids?

On holidays or special occasions
Anytime
To share your own childhood experiences
To share things that happened when they were very young
To relate interesting family stories
To say I’m sorry
To congratulate them on an accomplishment or goal reached

Many years ago, when my children were very young and they wanted to give me a gift for a birthday or other special time, I would tell them, “Write me a love letter!” Those letters and cards that they made themselves are still tucked away carefully and treasured by me. When your children give you a gift like that, it will outlast any box of candy, bouquet of flowers or trinket they might find at the store.