Grandparents’ Day is celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day. Grandparents and children share a special connection. Magination Press has several books exploring this special relationship.
When Nana Dances by Jane Yolen and Maddison Stemple-Piatt
Nana can make any object a dancing partner. An umbrella, a broom, even a rake! Both onstage and off, she can shimmy, she can mambo, and do the bunny hop. She’s won prizes and can dance to grandpa’s music or to her own beat. But nothing is more special than when grandma dances with her grandchildren.
That Missing Feeling by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Mia’s life feels split in two after her parents get divorced. When she’s at her dad’s house, Mia misses her mom’s jokes and singing. And when she’s at her mom’s house, she misses her dad’s laugh and cooking. Mia just can’t quite shake that missing feeling. Sometimes that missing feeling makes her angry. And sometimes it makes her sad.
One day when Mia visits her Grandpa, he gives her a little blue notebook saying, “When I write about Grandma, I am sad but I am happy too. She is gone, but you are here. Life changes, and writing helps me think about these changes. My notebook is a home for my heart.”
Read an interview with the author
My Singing Nana is a compassionate tribute to families dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. It explores a child’s experience as his grandmother begins to lose her memory.
This story celebrates the ideals of family, heritage, and happy memories, showing kids that no matter how their loved one might change they always have ways to maintain their special connection.
Read an excerpt with strategies to help kids understand and cope with a loved-one’s dementia
Accordionly: Abuelo and Opa Make Music by Michael Genhart, PhD
When both grandpas, Abuelo and Opa, visit at the same time, they can’t understand each other’s language and there is a lot of silence. The grandson’s clever thinking helps find a way for everyone to share the day together as two cultures become one family.
Listen to Accordionly read aloud
Read a piece by Dr. Genhart about creating the book
The Heart of Mi Familia by Carrie Lara, PsyD
Mommy’s family came from Europe, a long time ago. Daddy’s family came from Central America when he was a little boy. There are lots of differences between my mommy’s culture and my daddy’s cultura, but lots of things are the same too. Visiting both her grandma and her abeula, a little girl creates a birthday present for her brother that celebrates both sides of her family and all generations.
Listen to The Heart of Mi Familia read aloud
