James and Poppa at Christmas

About the Book

Poppa always visits James at Christmas time. James has been waiting for weeks to take Poppa throughout his village and to meet his best friend, Charlie. After Poppa arrives, he and James go out and take on the activities of town, from visiting the train station to the local farm and everything in between. At the end of every day, James and Poppa have their favorite ice cream. As the days go by, though, James notices that Poppa is having trouble. He gets tired easily. He trips on a walk for no reason and forgets James and Charlie at the ice-skating rink. James begins to be concerned for Poppa and decides to tell his mother about what he has noticed. His mother agrees that she, too, has seen changes in her father. The purpose of this book is to help children understand that their beloved grandparents may change and to treat them with love and compassion and bring their concerns to their parents. Understanding is the key to maintaining a loving relationship that helps families stay together during difficult seasons. For any family experiencing the heartache of Alzheimer’s disease and has children or grandchildren, this book will help provide kindhearted understanding.

About the Author

Sherrie Benton has been the caregiver for her husband with Alzheimer’s disease for over twenty years. She has, firsthand, watched the disease progress and seen her husband lose his skill sets and change his behaviors radically. With every downturn, Sherrie has had to make changes in how they have lived while trying to keep life afloat. Sherrie and her husband have two grandchildren and six great grandchildren.