Trudy Matoody and Grandma Ray: What is Alzheimer's?

by Marcia McGee Ashford, Sergio Drumond (Illustrator)

Trudy loves her Grandma Ray. Together they take walks, go to movies, and have picnics. Grandma Ray even taught Trudy all about the importance of good manners. All Trudy's friends love spending time with Grandma Ray and hearing her stories. Recently, however, Grandma Ray seems different. She no longer smiles when Trudy walks in the room. She doesn't talk much, and when she does, she sounds angry. And the worst part is that sometimes, she doesn't seem to remember who Trudy is.
Trudy is very upset by this change and just wants her grandmother back. What could be wrong with her?
Trudy's parents decide to have a meeting with Trudy and her friends Bully Bullfrog, Kitty Kate, Randy Raven, and the Putterflies. All of them love Grandma Ray and want to know what is wrong with her. To explain, Trudy's father begins with a story. "Once upon a time," he says, and gently explains what is happening to their Grandma Ray. She has Alzheimer's, and needs some extra help these days, but she's still the Grandma they know and love.
In this touching story of love and loss, Marcia Ashford helps even the youngest children to understand and cope with the mysterious disease that is Alzheimer's. This book is a gentle teaching tool for those learning to live alongside this condition, created with compassion by the daughter of an Alzheimer's patient. Sergio Drumond's illustrations beautifully capture the essence of a loving, multi-generational family going through difficult changes.

Genres: Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published November 7, 2021

About the author

Marcia is a southern gal. She is a Mom, educator, musician, writer, world traveler and cancer survivor. She writes children's books and says sometimes it is fun to live in an imaginary world. Her cancer support books are for gals in the trenches.

Marcia loves her family and her fur baby Lexi Grace, the beach, travel, and chocolate.
Lexi loves to tag along on speaking engagements and road trips. For information and to sign up for her social media go to her website: www.heartstringproductions.com-Books with Heart and Art

Reviews

[Ingrid Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully Written

A beautifully written book to teach children about aging and alzheimers. Judy doesn’t understand what’s happening with her grandmother and why her grandmother is acting so different. Her parents tell her the story of a princess that ages and gets ill. This story really helps children to understand what grandparents can go though. This is an excellent learning book for children!

[Sirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trudy loves hanging out with Grandma Ray, but lately Grandma has been grumpy and forgetful. Trudy doesn’t know what’s going on. She has a party. Dad tells a story. A bunch of animals chime in. They eventually come to the conclusion that Grandma has Alzheimer’s and decide to love her as she is.

This book shines in its easy explanation of Alzheimer’s that’s both approachable for kids and helps answer some common questions. That’s great, but there’s just so much other kitschy content that doesn’t make sense. Why are there talking butterflies? Why does Dad make up a princess instead of just starting with the puzzle? Why does Dad get tired halfway through his unnecessary story? Why do the characters cry so much? Basically, a lot of this book could have been trimmed and it would have been a lot better. I like the concept of the brain as a puzzle, but I could have done without the cringe.

[Barbara Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Do You Teach A Small Child About Alzheimer's?

by Barbara Kelley

This book is about a little girl named Trudy Matoody and the mental changes of her Grandma. Grandma is exhibiting bad behaviors and even forgetting who her family members are. Trudy's mom and dad tell her a story about a princess and how that princess changed when she got old. This is a story every parent should read to the little ones when a beloved elderly family member gets Alzheimer's Disease. The child should know about the missing puzzle pieces in a person's head, and that this is not a contagious disease. I really liked this story and gave it 5 stars.

I received a copy for free via freebooksy, and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Rella B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a one-of-a-kind book that gently explains Alzheimer's disease to young readers, showing how some older adults, like grandmas and grandpas, may experience it. The use of a puzzle to represent the human brain and illustrate why this condition occurs is a clever touch. The story is told in a fairytale style, showing how the main character’s grandmother was once and how she is now. This helps children connect with the concept in an easy and relatable way. The illustrations are beautiful and the storyline is engaging. The only part that confused me was the use of animal characters. It might have worked better to use other children as characters, but that’s just my personal preference.

[Chad Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book for Children Understanding Grandparents Going Through Changes!

When any child has to go through this difficult situation, it is very emotionally tough for them to understand! The author was very creative and did an excellent job putting this entire story together!! I'm glad to have read this with my daughter because my father has dementia and this book helped her understand how she will deal with her grandfather! 👍Two thumbs up 👍for this book!

[Alexis Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great learning for kids

I experienced this when I was a child with my great grandmother who had Alzheimer's. She would argue with me and was constantly angry. I love and miss her. And for grandmother who passed away she had dementia. They were mother and daughter. I had to roll with the punches.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

🫶

My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This explains the tragedy of Alzheimer's compassionately and lovingly that even youngsters can understand. The author compares it to a puzzle missing some pieces. Even better, the children are encouraged to accept the changes and love the grandparent as she is (and was). Well done!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have a tissue handy!
I liked how the story doesn't shy away from the unpleasant side of Alzheimer's.
Some people who suffer from this disease will become aggressive and lose their understanding of appropriate behavior.
Highly recommended!

[Latia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and easy

This book helps young children understand Alzheimer’s, with a simplex meaning. The “puzzle” correlation is a great tool to help explain the disease. This would be a great resource for children who may not understand the changes in their elderly family members.

[Janet Ashmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exceptional children's picture book is ideal for explaining Alzheimer's or similar age-related dementias to young children. It is also highly suitable for anyone interested in learning about changes in the elderly. The illustrations are excellent, and the message is timeless.

[Curious Cow · Rating 5 out of 5]

heartwarming

This book is not the usual subject we would read about and discuss but I found this very helpful explaining an issue like this. Highly recommended

[Carolyn Watson-Dubisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is well done and the subject is excellent. I felt the extra animal characters that appeared near the end were a little abrupt and needed to be introduced sooner. A valuable resource for people dealing with Alzheimer's disease in their family. The characters are easy to relate to and this book can help open a wider discussion on parents and grandparents struggling with this disease.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.

[Mom1kori · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Trudy Matoody and Grandma Ray: What is Alzheimer's?" is a compassionate children's book that helps explain Alzheimer's disease. Through a touching story, Trudy learns about her Grandma Ray's changes due to Alzheimer's. With beautiful illustrations, the book emphasizes love and understanding, making it a valuable resource for families to discuss this challenging topic.

[Lily L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a heartwarming to read. It's about the relationship of the girl to her grandmother. She remembers the bonding and sweet moments she had with her grandma Ray. This is a fun book with many lessons to learn to read to small kids.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good intro for kids. I read it to a group of kids. It held their interest.