A young girl loves her grandpa so much! When they spend the day at the beach, she holds his hand as they go for a walk, and they build sand castles together. But sometimes, its difficult, because Grandpa has become forgetful. Grandpa's memories are like the tide, Mommy explains. Sometimes, they're near and full of life. Other times, they're distant and quiet. The Tide is a story about families, laughter, and how we can help a loved one with dementia live well.
"Mommy says Grandpa's memories are like the tide. Sometimes they're near and full of life. Other times they're distant and quiet."
A sweet and thoughtful picturebook story written by Clare Helen Welsh and illustrated by Ashling Lindsay of a day at the beach with mommy, a little girl and her Grandpa, who has dementia. The story is told from the little girl's perspective, as she digs holes and makes sandcastles with her grandpa. We wince as Grandpa buries the sandwiches at one point. It's not going to be the same for them, but they can still do things they enjoy together.
The little girl worries, as we all do as we all do in this situation:
"But what if Grandpa forgets me?"
The words are fine, the basis for some reflection and discussion for others inevitably going through this situation, but the illustrations give the book its emotional depth and sweetness.
A beautiful story of a young girl witnessing her grandfather suffer from dementia. This was a really lovely (and bittersweet) book to read which reminded me of my own grandmother who suffers from dementia. It can be difficult and scary for young children to watch their grandparents suffer from this but this book is a wonderful way of teaching children that no matter what, they will always be loved. The metaphore of the tide representing the grandfathers memory was really powerful. I think that the tide also represents the idea that grandparents love for their grandchildren, like the sea, will always be there.
A found this such a touching and emotional read for a picture book - something that I haven’t quite been moved by as a picture book before.
I loved the way the tide was described as a metaphor for the grandads memories and how sometimes if it’s distant (the tide is out) the memories are there but not as a clear and if it is close the memories are present - so lovely.
My favourite section is the part where it says ‘the tide is in’ this shows the true happiness and the connection the girl and her grandad has when he really remembers their memories.
I also loved how this really helps to explain dementia to children and how it may be really tricky for them if their grandad cannot remember the things they have done.
Also the mother appears to be a caring bystander I feel ok this book - she isn’t often mention but is quite often seen. A lovely touch.
Que delícia de leitura! Uma história que explica às crianças o que é viver com demência, abordada de forma ternurenta e com deliciosas ilustrações para todas as idades!
I absolutely adore this book, it was so cute and really lovely story about a child going to the beach with their grandad who forgets things. I love the illustrations and how well the story is told as the subject matter is actually quite sensitive. This could be an amazing book to use if a child is going through a similar thing with their loved one or just to teach them about dementia. Really loved this book, one of my new favourite picture books.
A lovely story with a focus on an important topic. I always appreciate stories that don’t sell the message of the story by their title. Illustrations that intertwine nicely with the text but leaves little to interpretation. Really touching and sensitive story approaching a deeply upsetting topic.
This book can help children understand the changes in people with dementia. For me this book was so relatable and brought back some loved memories of a family member. The book is filled with love and happiness. "Mummy says Grandad's memories are like the tide. Sometimes near and close and full of life" this is my favourite quote in the book. This is a lovely way to approach dementia.
Wzruszająca opowieść o relacji dziadka z wnuczką. Porusza niezwykle ważny temat jakim jest demencja. Ten problem ukazany jest jednak w sposób łatwy do zrozumienia dla małego czytelnika.
If you love someone who has memory loss, the roller coaster of feelings that accompany it can be difficult to talk about with kids. The Tide by is sweet but honest, and the celebrations of being present are a good reminder to all readers.
The narrator, a little girl, loves spending time with her grandfather, especially when they are at the beach. But he doesn't always know what's happening, and he gets things mixed up due to his dementia. Her mother gently reassures the girl that her grandfather still loves her and helps her find ways to help him when he forgets things. The illustrations show him burying the family's sandwiches in the beach sand as the girl remembers times that she buried things or forgot things. I really loved the fact that this seems to be a single-parent family with a mother who takes the time to explain in an easy to understand way what's happening to Grandpa and that she continues to involve him in their activities. The idea that his memory is like the ocean tide, coming in and going out, at times, "near and full of life" (unpaged), and sometimes, "distant and quiet" (unpaged), is an interesting one. This picture book would be perfect for sharing with a child whose parent or grandparent is suffering from dementia since it reassures readers that love is still there even as the memories fade. I also loved the fact that the mother in the story is larger than the typical body size and still manages to enjoy her time sunbathing on the beach. I love stories that celebrate all of us, no matter the size.
A beautiful, meditative story told from an open perspective of a little girl trying to empathise with her grandfather's dementia/alzheimers, and how such a thing might feel and relate to her own experiences. A trip to the beach reveals lots of little things slipping away from Grandad, things that Mum shows the little girl are similar to thing that have also happened to her, such as losing a toy or not being sure how to tie your shoe laces. But what about forgetting a loved one? An excellent example of how children can support their grandparents by continuing to spend time with them and being there through the highs and lows. The use of a tide as representative of the memory is a lovely image, and one that I am sure many children will find comforting and helpful to understand. A resounding message that whilst the memory may go, the love will always remain.
Such a sweet book! The illustrations are beautiful. The calm and gentle pallete with soft blurred edges give such a beautiful and sad addition to a very lovely story about dementia.
Using the tide as a metaphore for her grandfather's memory is a beautiful touch, but my favourite parts of this is the mother. She isn't mentioned too much; the story is mostly about the child and her love for her grandad who forgets a lot. But even so, she is constantly present in the pictures as a third figure to help solve problems and offer love.
I think this book would really support and offer a sign of care to children and their families who may be learning to live with a loved one developing dementia.
I also love the size/body representation that the illustration style provides!
Pidän todella kovasti näistä lasten kuvakirjoista, joissa käsitellään vaikeita asioita ja ollaan syvissä vesissä. Varmasti jo aikojen saatossa on ollut muistisairaita omaisia, mutta nyt muistisairaat isovanhemmat ovat tulleet osaksi lasten kuvakirjallisuutta. Aivan loistavaa.
Tässä kirjassa käsitellään lempeästi isovanhemman outoa muistamattomuutta ja pohditaan lapsen näkökulmasta, mikä asiassa on surullista ja outoa.
What a beautiful book that depicts the journey families go on to understand how the changes someone with dementia goes through. Within the book, there was a particular metaphor that really stood out which compared memories to the name of the book "the tide" as some are "near, close and full of life" and others which are "far away and distant;" a great and accessible way for children to understand dementia.
I love this picture book by Clare Helen Welsh, illustrated by Ashling Lindsay. It is a simple story, that Grandad's memories come and go like the tide, but I found it very moving because my own father died of Alzheimer's in 2015 after a few years of deteriorating mental health. It was very touching how the author brought out that the little girl and her Grandad still love each other despite his fading memories. Well done and thank you.
Very pretty to look at! A sweet story of a girl and her grandpa (who doesn't remember things very well anymore). I love the cheery, summertime images, and the empathy that the little girl's mom helps her feel towards her granddad about how it must be frustrating and sometimes scary to forget things.
A lovely story about a child at the beach with their Grandad who suffers from memory loss. Although the Grandad doesn’t remember many things the little girl has fun playing with him at the beach. The book expresses his memory loss in a lovely metaphor about the tide going out and coming in. This demonstrates the author helping children understand about what memory loss is like.
The Tide is a insightful text about a grandfather-granddaughter relationship, which depicts memory loss as a tide which “comes and goes”. A beautiful narrative with a clever metaphor to open up conversations with children about memory loss and family relationships.
Well illustrated. A story that shows the emotions and experience of a child living with a grandparent with dementia. Would allow other children to connect and understand that these emotions are valid and that they are still loved.