ALWAYS GRAMMA

A realistic portrayal of a competent, beloved person changing as a result of Alzheimer's disease. Gramma is shown leading an active, creative life--teaching favorite songs, gardening, even skinny-dipping with her granddaughter. Then she begins to forget--first things of little consequence, then dangerously: she puts a lighted cigarette in her pocket, or forgets her way home. Poignantly, Grampap copes until he can no longer manage; then Gramma goes to a nursing home, where her family visits every day--even though she doesn't seem to remember them anymore. Yet, sustained by the example of the adults in her family, the child-narrator knows that the Gramma who once was will always be. Softly defined watercolors accentuate the love this family feels for one another as they deal with their sorrow. A reassuring presentation that should be of value for explaining Alzheimer's to young children and helping them to deal with it.