Grandpa's Music

Book excerpt: Grandpa takes care of the garden, kneads bread, and makes music on the piano. Everyone in Callie's family helps out around the house, now that Grandpa, who has Alzheimer's, lives with them. The family becomes Grandpa's "home team," and Callie loves spending time with them. As months go by, Grandpa forgets more, and he can't do as much as he could before. But he can still make music - his fingers remember the notes on the piano. And when he can't recall the words to a favorite old song, Callie helps him come up with new things that they can sing about together. Alison Acheson's thoughtful storytelling and Bill Farnsworth's touching paintings portray a family that learns to adapt to the challenges of Alzheimer's disease while making the very best of their time together.