What a Beautiful Morning - Arthur A. Levine & Katie Kath


Every morning is beautiful when Noah visits his Grandparents. When Grandpa and Noah wake up, they take off singing and hardly stop: walking the dog, splashing through puddles, and eating French toast with cinnamon. But one summer Grandpa seems to have forgotten how to do the things they love. Does he even know who Noah is? Grandma steps in energetically, filling in as best she can. But it is Noah who finds the way back to something he can share with Grandpa. Something musical. Something that makes the morning beautiful again. This is a story about how love helps us find even what we think is lost.

It isn't often that something as complex and emotionally nuanced as alzheimer's is explored in a picturebook. Arthur Levine has written a story that is incredibly sensitive and insightful, filled with descriptive and imaginative language. The book is an emotional rollercoaster, moments of happiness contrasted with moments of heartbreak, confusion, and frustration. But what could easily have become a dark and tragic tale instead shows the beauty of finding moments of joy in between the moments of Grandpa's forgetfulness. Katie Kath's illustrations and use of colour wonderfully reflect the emotionally complex moments within the text (see below).


I Highly Recommend this book as both a beautiful story in itself, and also as a tool for educating younger children about alzheimer's.

(Out August 9, 2016)

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