The Little Word Catcher.

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at Queen’s University and the co-author of
Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary Classroom.

Elise’s grandma is experiencing difficulties remembering her words. Elise explains how Grandma use to know some long and fancy words but now she experiences troubles accessing words from her lexicon. The child assists her grandmother with filling in the missing words, but Elise is confused about Grandma’s memory problems. Elise wonders if Grandma’s words are lost, and she considers embarking on a word search using a big net and donning a safari-like hat. Elise’s parents are also very saddened about Grandma’s condition, and although they try to explain the situation to their daughter, Elise is not satisfied with their explanations. In the end, Elise both understands and accepts that Grandma will not get better but the child knows that she will always love her grandma.

Told from a child’s perspective, Simard’s compassionate portrayal of an elderly family member dealing with the early stages of Alzheimer’s is told with dignity and sensitivity. The inclusion of several metaphors and coping strategies assist in making Grandma’s disease understandable for children.

The book was originally published in French, and Côté’s illustrations earned her the 2007 Governor General’s Award for illustrations in a French-language text. The muted watercolour and crayon artwork beautifully extends the text. The picture book includes double-page spreads, single-page illustrations, as well as examples of montage. Throughout the book, Fiddle, Elise’s cat, is depicted in several humorous situations that are never mentioned in the text. Symbolically, the endpapers contain white words floating on a blue background.

Highly recommended.