I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.   Thank you NetGalley!

The cover of this book really is quite adorable and suites the title / book.
The illustrations were great.
My children and I really enjoyed this book. 

I'd definitely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

This book made me cry.  I loved the way it explained memory and dementia issues for children and the way that we can be carers for our loved ones by understanding and cherishing them.  The art was fresh and charming and the characters were relatable. The activities at the end of the book were a bit jarring and took away from the emotional impact, but the story itself was great.

I found the writing to be a little awkward, but the illustrations and the story are very gentle--perfect for explaining alzheimer's to younger readers.

Dear Girl is a beautiful book following a girl and her grandfather throughout his diagnosis and life with dementia, from the initial symptoms, the testing and doctor appointments, to making memories while they can, and the sadly inevitable moment when Grandfather no longer remembers his Dear Girl's name. The story and ideas contained within could be very helpful for families in similar situation, although the games at the end seemed a little out of place. 

Thank you to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

I was able to read an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley.

We follow Cathy as she realizes her grandfather starts forgetting things, when he goes to the doctor, when he needs to go stay at an assisted-living center. Cathy asks him many questions (his favourite smell, what he loves the most about the beach) before it gets to that point so she can try to bring back some memories.

This was the first children’s book on this subject I have found. This was beautiful to read, but it can be emotionally difficult if you know someone who is experiencing memory loss (either dementia or Alzheimer’s). I would be interested to see a child’s reaction to this story and the conversation that would follow.

I like the last page, with questions. Good conversation starters!

Why do the first 2 pages have flaps? This is a serious theme and I think flaps distracts us from that. If you want a flap book, why would you put only 2? To be fair, I read the electronic version of this book, all I could see was the mention “This will be a page with a flap”. And why do we have a labyrinth to find the beach at the end of the book?

Why doesn’t Cathy grow up? This story takes place over many years and the main character doesn’t change clothes or hair – which I can live with if it’s to recognize her – nor does she get taller! Readers, adults AND children, aren’t stupid, we definitely know the main character even if she’s 3 inches taller!!!

Dear girl will be available on April 20th, 2021.

It can be difficult when people we care about are ill, and even hard when that illness is permanent with conditions that seem to only get worse.

In the book Dear Girl, this little girl Cathy's Grandpa begins to forget things so he ends up going to the doctors. He finds out that he has an illness that makes it hard for him to remember things and even the meaning of simple words, such as the beach. Cathy becomes up with a plan to help her grandpa to remember who she is along with other things that he enjoys.

An Swerts does a wonderful job of explaining Alzheimer's to a little kid in Dear Girl. I also love the little surprise for the kid at the end of the book.

P.S. Thank you, NetGalley for exchanging this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, also An Swerts congratulations on publishing this amazing story.

Dear Girl is a beautifully illustrated, sweetly written story about Cathy and her Grandfather, who is diagnosed with dementia. The story is so heartwarming and written in such an honest way that it did make me cry while reading it. This book will be very helpful to children who are dealing with a loved one who has dementia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for my ARC.

A heavy book for young children (7 years and up) dealing with family members that are dealing with dementia. Needless to say, this should be read with an adult to talk about fears and what a grandparent or relative is going thru when they become more absent minded.

Dear Girl is a little girl whose grandfather is becoming forgetful. She discovers way to make memories now for herself and her grandfather.

A special thank you to Clavis Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A sweet story that should prove to be useful for any family unfortunately going through the experience of a loved one being diagnosed with dementia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for this advanced copy which I received in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this sweet story of a young girl who watched as her grandfather was diagnosed and lived with dementia. It raised questions that I think any child would wonder about if they see someone they love changing this way. The author handled the information in a delicate yet informative way.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

A good story depicting the onset of dementia   of a grandfather from his granddaughter's level of understanding (7 years and above).

I love the fact that the title leaves a huge impact when it's being mentioned in the story.

The illustration is just subtle and beautiful.

This storybook will help both the older generation and the younger generation to have an idea about young-onset dementia.

It's well done.

Thank you, authors and the publisher for the copy.

I love the concept behind this book, but it is very wordy and I don't think it actually portrays the idea clearly. Or at least not younger kids that the illustrations were aimed at.

Dear Girl is a children's picture book about a young girl and her grandfather who is dealing with Alzheimer's. The book takes us through the process of the grandfather first showing signs, being diagnosed, and the deterioration of his memory. The topic of Alzheimer's is always a heartbreaking one. However, this book approached the subject in a way to make it less scary, which I think it does pretty well. The illustrations are beautiful.

This is another of the growing list of picture books about Alzheimer's and dementia for children. I still haven't found any that I really love, but this is a sweet one with pretty illustrations. I'm not sure I relate to a grandparent that would talk to a young child about their fears regarding dementia, and I don't know how many go through MRIs to be diagnosed. There's a lot of text but it is done in a pretty good storytelling way instead of just a ton of info. My kids just lost their grandmother who had dementia, but she died very quickly of something else and so the whole process was sort of not what we were expecting. In these times of covid, families are having a hard time visiting loved ones in nursing homes or hospices, which happened with us so we didn't get those last months with her until the very end when we were at least able to say goodbye but she wasn't really able to communicate with us anymore. Every experience with Alzheimer's and dementia is different. This sweet book tells one story and it may be quite different from your child's, but it may be helpful to see another family with similar issues nonetheless.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Dear Girl is a beautiful children's picture book about a little girl who's grandfather is diagnosed with Dementia. Grandfather is sad about this and worries he will forget who she is or her name. The girl finds a way to keep Grandfather's favourite things as memories and reminders to him as his Dementia gets worse.
This is a very sweet book with really lovely illustrations and I found the book to be a good resource for any young child with a family member they are close to having Dementia.

This book is a sensitive, heart warming book about a grandfather going through the stages of dementia. What is a hard topic for anyone to understand, it is even harder for children, and this author has done a splendid job of presenting the situations well.

This is such a heartwarming book about a girl and her grandpa who has dementia. It is short and sweet, and the illustration is so beautiful. The soft colors are soothing and I think it fits the book very much. It successfully delivered the message of the story in a lighthearted way and it'd be a great to introduce dementia to young readers.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
This was honestly such a heartbreaking and sweet story about a granddaughter and her grandfather with dementia? Alzheimer's? I loved how this picturebook handled that, and how it managed to keep it hopeful!
My only criticism is that I wish we could see in the girl that years have passed.

A book that tries to convey dementia for a young audience, as a girl witnesses her toy seller granddad get more and more forgetful and mentally clumsy.  I guess it's an accurate portrayal of what might happen – the idea of the infallible guardian needing a brain scan, and the idea of their acuity being on a downhill trend, but it's not perfect.  To me the text was too small font and dense for the target audience (and if it was for an older audience, why is there a silly maze and rather pointless counting game included at the back?); and problems occur when we're told the narrative takes us over years with the girl forced to wear the same things and look exactly the same throughout.  Still, it does convey a lesson of a kind rather well, and the girl's caring, forward-thinking nature is something to aspire to.

This is a very important and special children's book which introduces children to what may happen if their loved one develops dementia.  It is a sad story, but it is also heartwarming and has happiness in it.  The story is about a little girl whose grandad develops dementia and how she looks after him by showing him love and affection and helping him to remember special things and special days out, such as going to the beach.  The writing of the book is very good and the illustrations are beautiful.  I loved this book and it really touched my heart as I have a family member who is going through dementia at the moment.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.