A review by bickie
The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros

4.0

Addresses dementia of a loved one (in this case, a grandfather) in a sweet, accessible way. People (and a dog) carry around balloons with them with special memories of their lives; grandpa's start getting snagged and one by one fly away. It's devastating when the silver balloon with the boy's favorite memory of his grandfather is no longer part of the grandfather's collection; he can't believe the grandfather let it go. Eventually, the grandfather's remember balloons are added to the boy's, gently showing how stories are passed from generation to generation. I think it would be hard to read this one aloud without crying, but very good for a child struggling to understand a loved one with dementia.