Grandfather's Story Cloth

by Linda Gerdner (Author) Stuart Loughridge (Illustrator)

Grandfather's Story Cloth
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Chersheng feels sad and helpless when he learns that Grandfather has Alzheimer's Disease, but then Chersheng's mother presents him with a story cloth stitched by Grandfather himself, embroidered in the Hmong tradition.

Chersheng's grandfather is beginning to forget things: little things like turning off the water faucet and big things like Chersheng's name. Sometimes he even forgets that he is in America now. Chersheng feels sad and helpless when he learns that Grandfather has Alzheimer's Disease, but then Chersheng's mother presents him with a story cloth stitched by Grandfather himself, embroidered in the Hmong tradition. 

Through the story cloth, Grandfather's memories of his life in Laos come alive. And inspired by Grandfather's tales about his life before the war forced him to immigrate to America, Chersheng comes up with a plan to capture his family's new life with his own art project. This way, they can all remember that their love is stronger than Alzheimer's Disease, no matter in which country they live.

Linda Gerdner's heartwarming story addresses the increasing number of children who live with elderly grandparents with dementia. This volume, presented bilingually in English and Hmong, allows children and their loved ones not only to gain a compassionate understanding of Alzheimer's Disease, but also to share in the simplest act of pleasure and love -- that of reading together.

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Paperback
$12.95

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 A Hmong boy learns about his grandfather's life in Laos and his escape to the United States as they share memories illustrated on the elderly man's story cloth. Grandfather has Alzheimer's disease and is beginning to forget common things. Chersheng's fear and exasperation are evident, as are the family's great respect and consideration for their aging relative. The English and Hmong texts face paintings that express the many moods of the characters. Endpapers and the back cover feature numerous geometric patterns that are common in Hmong handicrafts. A full spread shows the story cloth for easy reference and closer examination for details. Background information on Alzheimer's disease and the Hmong refugees and their story cloths will be appreciated by adults preparing to read the story or older children seeking information on both of these topics. A strong family story about difficult social issues relevant to today's society.

"Erlene Bishop Killeen, Stroughton Area School District, WI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781885008657
Lexile Measure
580
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Shen's Books
Publication date
May 01, 2015
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
JUV011020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Asian American
Library of Congress categories
-

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