I Smile For Grandpa by Kathryn Harrison

This is the story of a young boy who loves his grandfather and is his buddy.  As grandpa gets older, he starts to lose his memory.  The boy's parents explained dementia to the boy and told him it was nothing to be fearful about.  They also told him to let the things go that he has forgotten unless it's something like his name.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

My grandmother had dementia and she was disabled.  I stayed with her when my aunt and her family went on vacation.  She saw things from the past, always forgot who I was, and told tales of long ago and far away.  One day she was telling me what everyone was getting for Christmas and when I told not to tell me what Jo Ann was getting (I didn't want to know about present early), she asked me:  "Don't you like Jo Ann?  She's a nice girl."  That almost made me cry.  Otherwise, we got along fine.  I just listened and agreed for the most part.  Life changes as people grow older.

The boy in this book used to play soccer with his grandpa and he went on camping trips with them.  But as he forgets more things, he can't do those anymore.  So the boy plays soccer by himself with his grandfather watching.  And he remembers his grandfather whistling while camping and his big smile he'd have for his grandson and that keeps him company when they go camping.

He just reminds his grandpa that he's his buddy and they still whistle and love each other.  That's what counts.

This is lovely book and an easy way to explain dementia to a small one.  Even if no one in your family has it, you might meet someone in public that does.  It will help them not be frightened.

The closeness between grandfather and grandson is sweet and undeniable.  This was a great read.