"Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"

Altman, Linda Jacobs. Singing with Mama Lou. New York: Lee & Low Books, 2002. ISBN: 158430040X
Nine-year-old Tamika uses photographs, school yearbooks, movie ticket stubs, and other mementos to try to restore the memory of her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease.

Bahr, Mary. The Memory Box. Morton Grove, IL: A Whitman, 1992. ISBN: 0807550523
When Gramps realizes he has Alzheimer's disease, he starts a memory box with his grandson, Zach, to keep memories of all the times they have shared.

Ballmann, Swanee. The Stranger I Call Grandma: a Story about Alzheimer's Disease. Jawbone Publishing, 2001. ISBN: 0970295944

Bauer, Marion Dan. An early winter. New York: Clarion Books, 1999. ISBN: 0395903726
When eleven-year-old Tim's beloved grandfather develops Alzheimer's Disease, Tim tries to restore and save him by taking him out for a fishing adventure at the pond, but the outing turns into a disaster.

Beckelman, Laurie. The Facts about Alzheimer's Disease New York: Crestwood House, 1990. ISBN: 0896864898

Bracken, Rosemarie. Keeping Memories Alive. Abingdon, MD: Memory Lane Press (P.O. Box 284, Abingdon, MD 21009-284).

Brown, Marian Tally. Grandma Has Alzheimer's But It's OK. 1stBooks Library, 2001. ISBN: 0759622213

Casey, Barbara. Grandma Jock & Christabelle. Nashville, TN: J.C. Winston Pub. Co., 1995.

Check, William A. Alzheimer's Disease. New York: Chelsea House, 1989. ISBN: 0791000567 (hbk.); 079100483X (pbk.)
Examines the effects, possible causes, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and problems faced by families of the victims.

Frank, Julie. Alzheimer's Disease: the Silent Epidemic. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, c1985. ISBN: 0822515784
Explains the progressive brain disorder Alzheimer's disease, gives case histories of victims, and describes the problems faced by their families.

Gold, Susan Dudley. Alzheimer's Disease. Parsippany, N.J.: Crestwood House, 1996. ISBN: 0896868575

Gosselin, Kim. Allie Learns about Alzheimer's Disease: A Family Story about Love, Patience, and Acceptance. (Special Family and Friends Series) JayJo Books, 2001. ISBN: 1891383159

Graber, Richard. Doc. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.

Groot, Tracy. The Mystery of the Forgotten Fortune. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1996.
Casey and her group The Classifieds set out to find the lost fortune belonging to an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Gruenewald, Nancy. Grandpa Forgot My Name. Illustrated by Bruce Loeschen. Austin, MN: Newborn Books, c1997. (Newborn Books, 508 South Main Street, Austin, MN 55912. Email: nlgrunew@wolf.co.net) Grandpa came to live with the family because he couldn't take care of himself anymore. Dad helps him dress and mom helps him eat his vegetables, but he doesn't forget how to eat cookies and doughnuts... and ice cream. This delightful book, based on the author's family's experiences, tells us that though grandpa may forget his granddaughter's name, he didn't forget he loved her.

Guthrie, Donna. Grandpa Doesn't Know It's Me. New York: Human Sciences Press, 1986. ISBN: 0898853087 Published in cooperation with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association.
Elizabeth observes her grandfather become a victim of Alzheimer's disease and describes its symptoms and effects.

Harmon, Daniel E. Life Out of Focus: Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, c1999. ISBN: 0791048969
Discusses the nature, possible causes, effects on the patient as well as family and friends, and treatment options of this deteriorative disease.

Hinnefeld, Joyce. Everything You Need to Know When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's Disease. Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1989. ISBN: 082391688X

Karkowsky, Nancy Faye. Grandma's Soup. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ban Copies, 1989. ISBN: 0930494989 (hbk.); 0930494997 (pbk.)
A young girl confronts her grandmother's growing confusion and disability from Alzheimer's disease.

Kelley, Barbara. Harpo's horrible secret. Prairie Grove, Ark.: Ozark Pub., 1996.
When Harpo's great-grandfather, who has Alzheimer's, comes to live with him and his family, Harpo fears that he himself has the disease because he shares his relative's tendency to make things up.

Kehret, Peg. Night of Fear New York: Minstrel Book, Published by Pocket Books, 1994. ISBN: 0671892177 (pbk.)
Thirteen-year-old T.J. and his grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease, find their lives in danger when they discover a disturbed arsonist hiding in a barn.

Kibbey, Marsha. My Grammy. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 1988. ISBN: 0876143281 (lib. bdg.)
When eight-year old Amy has to share her bedroom with Grammy who has Alzheimer's disease, she learns to give her the patience she needs.

Klein, Norma. Going Backwards. New York: Scholastic, 1986. ISBN: 0590403281 Family dynamics are strained when Grandmother Gustel, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, moves in; though Charles, a high school senior, hopelessly tries to live a normal life, while his father refuses to recognize the problem.

Kroll, Virginia L. Fireflies, Peach Pies, & Lullabies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN: 0027510018 When Francie's Great-Granny Annabel dies of Alzheimer's disease, Francie finds a way to help people remember the real person rather than the shell she had become as the disease ran its course.

Laminack, Lester L. The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1998. ISBN: 1567451398.
Even though Miss Olivia seems unaware of the world around her, when her daughter and her great-grandson come to the nursing home to visit, they awaken happy memories of her past.
(Lester and I went to the same high school. He was a few years younger than me, I think. Though it was published in 1998, I didn't discover his book until Christmas 2001 when I was at my sister's and she showed me her copy.)

Landau, Elaine. Alzheimer's Disease. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. ISBN: 0531112683
Examines the possible causes, social effects, and personal trials of this disease.

Leighton, Audrey O. A Window of Time Lake Forest, CA: NADJA, 1995. ISBN: 0963633511

Mackall, Dandi Daley. Horse Whispers in the Air St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2000. ISBN: 0570070082
After she discovers what her grandfather had been collecting in jars which appeared to be empty, Scoop understands that although he had Alzheimer's, he remembered the past.

Park, Barbara. The graduation of Jake Moon New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. ISBN: 068983912X
Fourteen-year-old Jake recalls how he has spent the last four years of his life watching his grandfather descend slowly but surely into the horrors of Alzheimer's disease.

Potaracke, Rochelle. Nanny's Special Gift. New York: Paulist Press, 1993.

Sakai, Kimiko. Sachio Means Happiness. San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 1990.

Sanford, Doris. Maria's Grandma Gets Mixed Up. Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1989. ISBN: 0880702982
A young girl turns to God to help her understand her grandmother's strange behavior.

Shawyer, Margaret. What's wrong with Grandma?: a family experience with Alzheimer's. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1996. ISBN: 1573921076
A young girl tries to understand the frustrating, frightening changes in her grandmother caused by Alzheimer's Disease.

Schein, Jonah. Forget Me Not. Firefly Books, 1988. ISBN: 1550370006

Schwartz, Noa. Old timers: the one that got away!. Downsview, Ont.: Tumbleweed Press, 1998. ISBN: 0968330312 (pbk.)

Shecter, Ben. Great-Uncle Alfred Forgets. New York: Harper Collins, 1996. ISBN: 0060262184; 0060262192 (lib. bdg.)
A young girl takes her great-uncle, who is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, for a walk and gently and patiently answers all his seemingly absurd questions.

Smith, Doris Buchana. Remember the Red-Shouldered Hawk. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1994. ISBN: 0399224432
Twelve-year-old John-too is dismayed when his grandmother, who has come to live with his family, begins to experience increasing incidents of confusion and memory loss.

Swinwood, Laurie. Rainbows & Other Promises. New Canaan Publishing Co., 1999. ISBN: 188965812X
Twelve-year-old Sara learns to grow in the face of the pain she feels when her beloved grandfather deteriorates with Alzheimer's disease.

Tonkin, Rachel. Grandpa's stories. Port Melbourne, Vic.: Roland Harvey Books, 1996. ISBN: 0949714445

Walker-Blondell, Becky. In My Mother's Arms. Winston-Derek, 1995. ISBN: 155523647

Weitzman, Elizabeth. Let's Talk about When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's. New York: Rosen/PowerKids Press, 1996. ISBN: 0823923061
Discusses the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease and offers basic mechanisms for coping with a loved one's illness.

Whitelaw, Nancy. A Beautiful Pearl. Morton Grove, Ill.: A. Whitman, 1991. ISBN: 0807505994
Although her mind is deteriorating from the effects of Alzheimer's disease, Grandma presents Lisa with a special gift on her birthday.

Wilkinson, Beth. Coping When a Grandparent Has Alzheimer's Disease. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 1995. ISBN: 0823914151
Discusses the nature and effects of Alzheimer's disease and the problems involved in coping when a grandparent has the disease.

Williams, Carol Lynch. If I Forget, You Remember. New York: Delacorte Press, 1998. ISBN: 0385325347
Twelve-year-old Elyse's plan to write an award-winning novel during the summer is interrupted when her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease, moves in with the family.

Willner-Pardo, Gina. Figuring out Frances. New York: Clarion Books, 1999. ISBN: 0395915104
Ten-year-old Abigail's neighbor Travis, her best friend although he is at a different school, upsets her when he transfers to her school, ignores her, and laughs at her grandmother's Alzheimer's along with his new friends.

Woodbury, Mary. Jess and the runaway grandpa. Regina: Coteau Books, 1997. ISBN: 1550501135

One very special book, though not about Alzheimer's, is about caregiving. Some friends shared this book with me before I left FSU to take care of my mother, and I couldn't keep from crying. I still cry when I read it:

Munsch, Robert. Love You Forever. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books, 1993. ISBN: 0920668364; 0920668372 (pbk.)
"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be," was the song sung to the little boy in the story, even when he was two and had flushed his mother's watch down the toilet, even when he was nine and never wanted to take a bath, even when he was a teen and wore strange clothes and listened to strange music, even when he was grown up and lived across town. So when his mother was old and sick, the man returned her love, and he sung a similar song for her as he cared for her, and when she died he picked up his own baby and sung his mother's song of love to that child. A beautiful, touching book everyone of all ages should read.

About the Elderly, Nursing Homes, Death, and Grief:

Auch, Mary Jane. Cry Uncle!. New York: Holiday House, 1987. ISBN: 0823406601
An elderly uncle given to occasional bouts of confusion causes the Andersons to wonder if they are able to care for him or if he should be sent to a nursing home.

Bunting, Eve. Sunshine Home. New York: Clarion, 1994. ISBN: 0395633095
When he and his parents visit his grandmother in the nursing home where she is recovering from a broken hip, everyone pretends to be happy until Tim helps them express their true feelings.

Carlstrom, Nancy White. Blow Me a Kiss, Miss Lilly. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. ISBN: 0060210125
When her best friend, an old lady named Miss Lilly, passes away, Sara learns that the memory of a loved one never dies.

Dugan, Barbara. Loop the Loop. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1992. ISBN: 0688096476
A young girl and an old woman form a friendship that lasts even after the woman enters a nursing home.

Kibbev, Marsha. The Helping Place. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1991. ISBN: 0876146809
A little girl's experiences when her grandmother spends some time in a nursing home help her to have a better feeling about those helping places.