A 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book

“A gentle, sensitively crafted story of intergenerational relationships, the text is an honest, affirming portrayal of love, dementia, depression, frustration, and hope. Lush illustrations support the poetic, poignant, and powerful text’s messages.” -American Library Association

“Love endures, even as memories are lost, in this inspiring, compassionate, and necessary story.” -Dr. Marie A. Lejeune, 2022 Batchelder Chair

? “A special relationship between grandfather and the grandchild he calls Stump changes as Grandpa slides into dementia. The story gently and positively documents a very common Alzheimer's progression-from loss of words to loss of competence in many areas. Told in present tense, it moves from a time when Stump’s grandfather knew the Latin names of all the plants he cared for to a time when he could no longer do jigsaw puzzles or set the table and had lost interest in nearly everything. It’s the child who first notices changes… The lengthy, relatively simple text, smoothly translated from the Danish by Køngerskov, rests atop cream-colored pages opposite full-bleed illustrations. Gouache pastels depict the cozy interior of the grandparents’ house, the lush flowers of the sunroom, and the cold gray of the snowy night of searching. Colorful at the beginning, the palette shrinks to grays as Grandpa’s depression and dementia set in; color returns with the positive ending. Child-centered, accurate, and engagingly told.” -Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

“This Danish import tells a tenderly crafted (and seamlessly translated) story about dementia as if affects an intergenerational relationship… Kjærgaard depicts Grandpa’s sunroom as filled with oversized, eye-catching flowers, infused with primarily rose, salmon, and cornflower tones. (The world-building she does here is impressive; it’s a home we want to step into and characters we come to care about.) As Grandpa forgets his words, he forgets his flowers too - and they begin to droop. Here, Kjærgaard also uses color effectively, a cool blue taking over several spreads as Grandpa’s memory worsens.” -Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

"The first-person account is clear and unadorned. This down-to-earth narration, combined with the dreamy quality of Kjaergaard’s paintings, successfully conveys the poignancy of Grandpa’s progressing dementia and Stump’s deep love for him. The artist uses soft edges, layers of watercolor, and a gentle pastel palette, which flattens to shades of gray and blue as winter arrives and Grandpa’s memory fails. The final spread, in which he happily holds his rabbit, revives some of the bright colors and flowers from the opening pages, as Stump’s gift restores, for at least a moment, some of Grandpa’s former self. A detailed, thoughtful afterword about dementia and memory loss adds a useful layer to this emotional story." -The Horn Book

“Translated from Danish and told from the perspective of a grandson named Stump, the narrative begins as a warm family story about cozy visits working crossword and jigsaw puzzles together. The cover illustration featuring giant flower blooms highlight[s] the importance of the flowers to the family, and immediately demonstrates the loving relationship of the grandfather and grandchild. When Grandpa starts to forget small things, … the illustrations depict the child collecting actual words, such as rose, coffee, tulip, and rabbit, into a box. Stump recognizes that something is happening to Grandpa before either grandparent acknowledges a problem, and he tries to remind Grandpa of their connection. A crisis forces Grandma to confront the situation, and she becomes able to respond with love and compassion. Heartbreakingly beautiful and sad, this evocative mix of realism and fantasy uses images and words to speak to the consciousness of a child. An explanatory note provides helpful insight for families about using objects and long-term memories to connect to a loved one with dementia.“ -Booklist

Anna Margrethe Kjærgaard is a well-established Danish illustrator. She trained at the Danish School of Design and Akademia Sztuk Pieknich in Poland. She has illustrated many stories, easy-readers, and picture books. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Danish Ministry of Culture’s illustrator award. 

Sinéad Quirke Køngerskov, Ph. D., is a Danish-to-English translator with many published translations. She is also secretary of the Association of Danish-English Literary Translators.