Finding Granny: We never really lose the people we love by K. Simpson

Simpson, Kate. Finding Granny: We Never Really Lose the People We Love. EK Books, 2018. This is an uplifting picture book about a child, Edie, whose beloved grandmother has a stroke and spends a long time recovering in hospital. At first, Edie does not accept that the woman in the bed, whose words do not make sense, is her grandmother. Through art therapy classes that Edie shares with her grandmother, she slowly rebuilds and reaffirms their close relationship. Edie comes to understand that while the colours in Granny’s painting are “all running into each other”, the painting is still beautiful. Gwyenneth Jones’ artwork is bright, exuberant and makes a sad and frightening subject engaging and entertaining. When the doctor, who has bright red glasses and a giant nose, explains that Granny’s “brain isn’t working the way it used to,” she points to a huge picture of a brain that has tiny eyes, a downturned mouth and huge adhesive bandages in an X across it.  This book celebrates intergenerational love and the effectiveness of art therapy in healing both relationships and illness. It also offers a lesson of patience and hope for those whose loved ones are recovering from stroke. Finding Granny would be a good addition to public, school, and hospital libraries. Highly Recommended:  4 out of 4 starsReviewer:  Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.