TIP-TAP POP

The process of watching a loved one grow older with significant memory loss is full of unanswered questions—for adults as well as children. Although the author doesn’t share any solutions, there is a tender sweetness in this title, as a young girl finds a way to reconnect with her beloved grandfather through their shared love of dancing. Pop taught Emma to tap dance before she could talk. The love of music and dancing joyfully springs from each double-page spread. Slowly, Pop starts to forget things like walking the dog and Emma’s birthday. The sadness of things forgotten comes across clearly in the dog's doleful posture and the missing energy in the still air. When Emma notices that Pop’s feet can still remember how to dance, a quiet hope grows that other special memories survive. A successful title in addressing a child’s perspective of aging and memory loss, it nicely complements Mem Fox and Julie Vivas's classic Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. (Picture book. 5-10)