What a Beautiful Morning

Little Noah absolutely loves visiting his grandparents! Every day, he goes for a walk with Grandpa and makes breakfast with Grandma, and the whole day is beautiful and filled with singing. But then one summer, things start to change. Grandpa isn’t quite acting like himself any more: he doesn’t sing as much and sometimes he can’t even seem to remember who Noah is. Noah is sad; he doesn’t know what to do. Is there some way he can help bring Grandpa back to himself?

What a Beautiful Morning tackles a topic that is all too familiar to many kids: dementia in grandparents. Parents often have a hard time figuring out how to help kids understand so this picture book could be an invaluable tool in some family situations. Author Arthur A. Levine does a fantastic job of both explaining how dementia might look and feel to a child while offering ideas to help young readers understand it. Katie Kath’s illustrations aid in the process, with Grandpa going partially or completely to grayscale when he’s struggling.

While the subject matter is rather heartbreaking, this book does an excellent job introducing kids to a sensitive topic.