Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost, Hardcover

A beautiful, candid picture book for children to understand what happens when a loved one begins suffering from dementia, and how best to care for them.

Stump always has a fantastic time with his grandparents, filled with flowers, puzzles, crosswords, and endless love. But one day, Stump's grandfather starts to lose his memory--and his words, which literally fall from him. Stump tries his best to keep the lost words safe, collecting them in a special box. But Grandpa seems to forget more and more everyday, and the situation comes to a head one snowy night when Stump wakes up to find Grandpa missing. Together, Stump and Grandma must find new ways to connect with Grandpa, and show him that he's not alone. This poignant, tender picture book depicts the struggle of coping with a loved one's dementia with honesty and sensitivity, with a message of hope that affirms the deep bonds of love between grandchild and grandparent.

This book includes an afterword to the adult reader about dementia and recollection, written by Ove Dahl, a historian and head of the Danish Center for Reminiscence. He provides some practical tips, as illustrated in the story with Stump, for establishing a meaningful way of being together when caring for a relative with dementia.

About author(s):Betina Birkjær made her debut as a children's author in 2014. She has a degree in drama and trained as a scenic artist. Since 2004, she has worked as performer, and since 2011 as an installation artist. Additionally, in 2005, she began working with the Spanish theater group called Teatro de Los Sentidos, and she is also the artistic director of Luna Park Performing Arts. This is Betina's first book to be published in the US.

Anna Margrethe Kjærgaard is a well-established Danish illustrator. She trained at the Danish School of Design and Akademia Sztuk Pieknich in Poland. She has illustrated many stories, easy-readers, and picture books. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Danish Ministry of Culture's illustrator award.

Sinéad Quirke Køngerskov, Ph. D., is a Danish-to-English translator with many published translations. She is also secretary of the Association of Danish-English Literary Translators.