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(More customer reviews)Mem Fox fans are a livid crew. If you've ever met one then I think you might know what I mean. When you meet a Mem Fox fan, it is more than likely that you may find yourself grabbed bodily as your arms start to fill with Mem Fox book after Mem Fox book. Mem Fox fans love her work and are quick to recommend everything she's done in a thrice. If you should feel like giving in and reading her works, then let me recommend that you begin with the delightful, "Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge". A touching tale of a boy and his elderly friend, the book explores the nature of memory itself in a way that children can understand.
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge lives next to an old folks home and (as the book is quick to point out), "he wasn't very old either". Just a scrappy young boy, Wilfrid likes all the old people in the home, but his favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper because she has just as many names as he does. One day Wilfrid hears his parents tsk tsking over the fact that Miss Nancy has lost her memory. Wilfrid asks what a memory is and his pop explains that it's something you remember. This definition doesn't sit well with young Wilfrid, however, and he runs over to the neighbors to get a little more clarification. What he finds instead, however, are mixed messages. I mean, Mrs. Jordon says a memory is something warm, while Mr. Hosking says it's from long ago. Mr. Tippett says it's something that makes you cry while Miss Mitchell claims it's what makes you laugh. And to top it all off Mr. Drysdale says it's as precious as gold, period. Using his head, Wilfrid decides to put things from his own memories into a box to give to Miss Nancy. After giving her the things one by one, Miss Nancy suddenly realizes that she does remember bits and pieces of her life by going through the objects. We watch as a medal reminds her of her brother who went to war and didn't come back, and a puppet reminds her of one she herself owned and would entertain her sister with. And that is how a small boy helped Miss Nancy find her memory again.
The fear behind a book such as this is that it might unduly raise the expectations of those kids whose beloved grandparents suffer from such memory sapping diseases as Alzheimer's or dementia. After all, Wilfrid makes it look so easy. But if used conscientiously the story is a sweet intergenerational tale for all kids to enjoy. Who wouldn't want to run around playing with a bunch of wise elders like this crew? There is a definite sense that Wilfrid is a great comfort to these people and his easy going camaraderie with them is a joy to behold. The story is a well told one, hinting at the backgrounds of these different men and women but never exactly telling anything specifically. I was also pleased to find that Miss Nancy's memories were not purely cheerful ones. She remembers sad facts as easily as happy ones, suggesting that perhaps nothing is worth forgetting. And where else will preschoolers be given the chance to discuss the nature of memory itself?
Add to Mem Fox's adept narration the color imbued illustrations of artist Julie Vivas and you've got yourself a hit! Vivas has such an original eye-catching style that it's difficult not to recognize it instantly. It's a little like a rounded out Patricia Pollacco. Here the elderly sport slippers and elastically-challenged socks as well as fabulous multi-colored dresses and baggy pants. Wilfrid is your average kid, skateboarding in the old folks home and climbing hither and yon. I was especially taken with the shot of him lying upside down between his parents as he father lazily carries his teddy bear. Most interesting are the pictures of Miss Nancy's past. Here the young red headed Miss Nancy (looking a little like Wilfrid's older sister, perhaps) sports lank black tights, high brown button shoes, and eclectic purple silk loose-fitting chemises. Kids won't notice the obviously odd clothing, but parents may pause a moment and wonder just how exactly it is that Miss Nancy found such clothes back then.
Still, it's a lovely tale. Full of wit and imagination. Many picture books contain active elderly characters, but few contain so many within a single book. Here we have a story that gives respect to the older AND younger members of our society at the same time. We owe so much to both that it's nice to see a story that gives them the fun color filled adventure they so richly deserve.
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