by Betina Birkjær

A Kirkus Prize Finalist 2022

 

A 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book

 

A USBBY Outstanding International Book of 2022

 

A 2021 Penn Graduate School of Education Best Book for Young Readers

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“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

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“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

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https://enchantedlion.com/all-books/coffee-rabbit-snowdrop-lost

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