Never Forget Eleanor

K-Gr 2--Young elephant Elijah loves to spend time with Grandma Eleanor, especially when the two of them share a crossword puzzle. She always seems to know all the answers, and she patiently teaches him the pronunciations and meanings of unfamiliar words. She also serves as a beloved storyteller for friends and neighbors on Saturdays in her yard. The entire community is deeply saddened when Grandma Eleanor's famed memory begins to fade (a partially glimpsed newspaper story contains a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease). At first she has difficulty recalling a word here and there, but then she begins forgetting the cherished weekly story sessions. One day, she leaves her house and cannot find her way back. Fortunately, Elijah devises a clever system of signs painted with familiar words and images to serve as trail markers to guide her home. From then on, these signs remain in place as a helpful reminder on her walks through the town. When Grandma Eleanor finally dies, Elijah keeps her memory alive by telling the stories and sharing her treasured words with all who will listen. The author's empathetic writing style is well-suited to the tender story of family and loss. Long eschews backgrounds, opting instead for vignettes on expanses of white, which gives the art a curiously unfinished feel. However, the characters themselves, rendered in richly textured gouache and colored pencil, display a touching emotional depth. VERDICT This sweet and sensitive story will hold particular resonance for children and families with elderly relatives in their lives.--Jonah Dragan

Elijah, a young anthropomorphized elephant, adores his Grandma Eleanor. She's a crossword whiz and a magical storyteller whose words circle around Elijah "in a warm hug" as he listens raptly. And her memory is prodigious: "Everyone in town called her 'Never Forget Eleanor' because there was no word, tale, or friend she couldn't remember." But Grandma Eleanor begins losing her beloved words and her memory, and then one day goes missing. Elijah is "a jumble of worry" until he realizes she's taught him how to help her: he creates and installs a story walk with words and images from her favorite tale, and Grandma follows them home. Calm, measured text from June (the Mermicorn Island series) offers compassion and holds space for the protagonist's grief, while velvety textured gouache and colored pencil vignettes by Long (Someone Builds the Dream) depict a small, animal-populated town where doe-eyed Eleanor is valued and supported by everyone from her family to the local rhino chef and tiger barber. There's a quiet sincerity at work throughout, and readers should find that it encircles them as well. Creators' notes discuss Alzheimer's. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)

This day-to-day celebration of a loving relationship brings both characters vividly to life. Long's tender gouache-and-colored pencil illustrations carry the story. . . the expressive features are endearing. From Elijah shyly peeking out from behind a newspaper to Grandma's heart-rending puzzled reactions, the images evoke honest emotions. . . A tender tribute to the heart. — Kirkus Reviews

Calm, measured text from June (the Mermicorn Island series) offers compassion and holds space for the protagonist's grief, while velvety textured gouache and colored pencil vignettes by Long (Someone Builds the Dream) depict a small, animal-populated town where doe-eyed Eleanor is valued and supported by everyone from her family to the local rhino chef and tiger barber. There's a quiet sincerity at work throughout, and readers should find that it encircles them as well. — Publishers Weekly

This sweet and sensitive story will hold particular resonance for children and families with elderly relatives in their lives.
— School Library Journal

The author notes that memory loss can affect people in different ways but that reminders such as these are helpful to some. The gouache-and-colored-pencil illustrations are gently serious, not too lighthearted but appropriate to the audience by not being too sad or scary, either. Eventually Grandma Eleanor passes away, though Elijah carries on her tradition by telling her special stories himself. — Booklist