Kelly O’Gara (text), Anna McNeil (text), Kelly O’Gara (illus.) Do You Remember ? Wombat Books, 28 April 2015, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk) ISBN 9781925139242
Do You Remember? is a soothing and comforting exploration of advancing dementia that gives children information and tools to understand and cope with the problems dementia can cause. Using two mice as characters, the young mouse recalls the activities such as reading and walking that can no longer be shared with the grandparent mouse. The disease progresses and the grandparent must go into care and, though the relationship changes, the love between child and grandparent remains.
The sparse but rich text is almost poetic as each page opens with the haunting question “Do you remember…?” and closes with a short summation of the tender emotions of the narrator. Kelly O’Gara’s digitally painted illustrations delicately compliment the text with their soft and sensitive use of light and shade with the most poignant moments of the narrator’s reflections shrouded in darkness. Yet this is a story of enduring love and the light, earthy tones of the illustrations convey these emotions without sentimentality. Skilled use of double page spreads and framed cameos capture the force and focused intensity of the topic while sometimes surreal effects, such as the numbers floating off a sundial, depict the disturbed world of the dementia sufferer.
Do You Remember? is a gentle way for parents to enter into discussion with a child of primary school age about dementia and its effects. Some useful information pages at the end of the text provide facts about the disease, how to interact with the sufferer and where to find more details. It is a worthy addition to any school library and a much needed resource in a world where dementia is a growing problem. Teaching Notes are available on the Wombat Books website.
reviewed by John Nolan