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A Day With Parkinson's


A Day with Parkinson's
By A. Hultquist
Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Albert Whitman & Company, 2016. Picture Book.

Noah and his mom are visiting his grandpa for the weekend, and Noah is excited that they are going to the beach. Throughout their day, Noah notices things that are different about his grandpa now that he has Parkinson’s, like how he has to take medicine, his hand shakes, and he moves more slowly. But one thing has not changed: Noah loves hanging out with Grandpa.

Parkinson’s has become more common in the last few decades so this is a much needed book to explain Parkinson’s to children. As the book explains, Parkinson’s affects everyone differently, but the book covers the most common symptoms. Having a father with Parkinson’s I am grateful for a book like this so I can read it to my nephews to explain why their grandpa is not as active as he used to be. One thing this book excels at is making sure the child knows that the disease is not their fault, something that can apply to any illness. Websites are included in the back for more information on Parkinson’s.

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