The Tide

by Clare Helen Walsh, Ashling Lindsay (Illustrator)

Overview

A young girl loves her grandpa so much! When they spend the day at the beach, she holds his hand as they go for a walk, and they build sand castles together. But sometimes, it’s difficult, because Grandpa has become forgetful. “Grandpa’s memories are like the tide,” Mommy explains. “Sometimes, they’re near and full of life. Other times, they’re distant and quiet.” A story about families, laughter, and how we can help a loved one with dementia live well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680101416
Publisher:	Tiger Tales
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.06(w) x 11.25(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Clare Helen Walsh does her best writing by the sea, which is lucky because she lives with her family in South West England, a stone’s throw away from crashing waves and salty sea air. When Clare isn’t writing stories for children, she is inspiring children to write their own. Being an elementary school teacher gives Clare an outlet for her BIG ideas. Once she had the idea she might be an author!

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2019

In a poignant story about accepting a loved one’s dementia, a girl with long, cherry-colored hair tries to understand that her gentle, mustachioed grandfather sometimes becomes confused: “Mommy says Grandpa’s memories are like the tide”—sometimes “near and full of life,” other times “distant and quiet.” During a day at the beach, the girl and Grandpa build sand castles and search for sea stars. But when it’s time for lunch, Grandpa mistakenly buries the sandwiches in the sand (she wonders “but where are all the sandwiches?”). The girl empathizes with her elderly relative by remembering times when she, too, forgot things: how to tie her shoes, and “the time I buried Polar Bear, and Mommy helped me find him.” Lindsay fills her seaside images with warm, fruity color tones that conjure feelings of kinship and comfort rather than absence and despair. No one is ever truly lost, Welsh suggests, so long as they are loved by those around them. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

04/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—Through the eyes of a little girl, readers meet an aging grandfather who struggles with dementia. Grandpa's disease, which has impacted his family, is hard for the girl to fully understand. The girl's mother explains that Grandpa sometimes gets confused and can't remember everything as he used to, such as the day that they watched the tide come in at the beach. The mother and the girl agree that this must be very frustrating. The girl vows to help her grandpa when he needs it. She holds his hand at the beach, and they build forts and castles and eat ice cream as they watch the tide come in. Grandpa's memories are like the tide, Mommy says. Sometimes, they are near and full of life, and other times, they're distant and quiet. But no matter what, she will always love Grandpa, and she knows that he loves her, too. Welsh gently explores a terribly complex disease that affects many people, making it simple enough for children of all ages to understand. The text is complemented by bright, whimsical, and simply stunning illustrations, coming together to create the soft and safe world of a family doing their best to help a loved one with dementia live well. VERDICT This title is a careful and thoughtful approach to dementia for an audience of all ages.—Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-02-13

A beloved grandfather's memories ebb and flow.

A small child muses that Grandpa "sometimes…forgets things" and "sometimes…gets confused." Still, while the narrator, Mommy, and Grandpa are at the beach, they engage in favorite activities together and watch the tide come in. The child is comforted to recall also having needed help in forgetful moments and also occasionally having behaved in perplexing ways. The child's loving, easy forgiveness of Grandpa's differences leads to understanding and acceptance of his predicament even though "sometimes, I get upset." The child deals with these feelings—even the unsettling idea that Grandpa might forget his grandchild—by thinking about how scary forgetfulness must be. The author's use of the tide as a metaphor for the way Grandpa's memories softly drift in and out works persuasively. The simple strategies the protagonist employs to cope with the changes in Grandpa's mental state are helpfully and naturally incorporated into the narrative. The reassuring, satisfying ending allows that loving family closeness can still prevail, particularly in dementia's earlier stages. Artwork is loose and appealing, and the colorful, refreshing seashore scenes are inviting. Protagonist and family appear white; other persons in the background are depicted as ethnically and physically diverse.

This will be comforting for many readers. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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