Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

What a wonderfully heartbreaking and heart healing book. This book is about a grandchild and a grandparent. They think about how many things are called by different names, be had a person or a building or an activity. Every weekend grandpa and grandchild go on a walk and look at the world and one day the grandchild realizes that grandpa is starting to lose his words. And grandchild realizes that things are not always great. But the grandchild has a way to help grandpa remember. This book is so sweet and heartfelt and wonderful. It’s also sad and reflective but in a way that makes you feel happy at the end.

Heartiest gratitude to Kids Can Press, NetGalley and Dave for the ARC! ❤️

'Other Words for Nonno' - written by Dave and illustrated by Yong Ling Kang, is one of the best book I've read in 2023. It shows the reality of dementia and alzheimer's disease or to simplify - the memory loss that's common in aged people. Our main character, Jill is worried about the changes she sees in her grandpa, as she feels him drifting away, losing words that used to give her comfort. Concerned and desperate, she tries to find a solution, to help him grab onto the memories both of them made together and as she does, a sweet, tender story unfolds.

The book is overflowing with love, respect and for me- nostalgia as I terribly miss hanging out my grandparents or the simple pleasure of looking at their faces. The illustration are beautiful! They capture the emotions precisely and tugged at my heartstrings . Such a gorgeous, emotional story 🫶🏻 Highly recommended!

This sweet story about a girl’s love for her grandpa will touch your heart. When his memory slips and he starts to lose language, she is quick to step in to do all she can to help him communicate.

Thank you to Kids Can Press, NetGalley and Dave Cameron for a digital ARC of this book for a review. As a parent and former teacher of Kindergarden and early reader/development I always feel blessed when I am able to give a great review for a book that can be added into the classroom or the home!

The illustrations by Yong Link Kang are soft, muted watercolor prints that really seem to make this feel touching and sweet and empathetic to what Jill and her Nonno are going through together. These two have a very special bond and her Nonno uses more descriptive words to describe common things like hummingbird is a sugar drinker. As her Nonno is getting older, his ability to come up with the fun words that he used to. Jill is worried and needs to come up with a way to help him remember = so she does.

This is a great book to transition to a tough topic that parents/grandparents/kids/grandkids have to deal with in their family!

‘Away we go, into the green to get to the blue!’

Jill and her Nonno love to play their word game on their weekly walks to the beach and into town. However one day Nonno doesn’t play along and Jill is concerned that he is running out of words, her mother says that sometimes Nonno can’t find the words he is looking for. Jill then attempts to assist Nonno so that he can find all of the words he might need along their walk.

This book was soft and sweet, I liked how the style of watercolour used in the illustration reflected that. The book gently touches on the idea of memory loss as people get older, this could be a good book to read to young children who may have elderly family members experiencing similar. I will say though that it is a VERY gentle touch on the topic, so most of the teaching/explaining would fall onto the adult reading the book. I loved how Jill came up with the idea of labelling their favourite items around town, to help her Nonno if he had another day where he forgot his words.

AGE: 3+
GENRE: Children’s Fiction, Social/Emotional, Families,
DETAILS: 32 Pages, Picture Book

This gorgeous book made me emotional. It’s a great book with out-of-this-world artwork. I am so impressed. The book talks about Jill’s grandfather starting to forget things and how she’s dealing with it. The book is such a wonderful illustration on how we can start making kids understand about health conditions that affect older people like dementia. I find this book really important and helpful. Please keep this book for educational purposes when it comes out! It’s so well done.

Thank you, Kids Can Press, for the advance reading copy.

Sweet story about a girl and her grandfather. It was a great way to introduce the fact that sometimes grandparents forget or change. I hadn’t read the description fully so I originally thought it was just going to be about silly words for things but ended up being a sweet, educational story

I received an electronic ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley.
Nonno and Jill are close. Every Saturday she heads for the home where her grandfather lives and they take a special walk together. It always follows the same route and they share their different words for items along the way. Sadly, one Saturday, Nonno stays quiet and does not share words. He asks some strange questions too. Jill talks with her mom and her mom explains that Nonno cannot always remember the words anymore. I love how Jill tries to help and creates written words she attaches to everything they talked about on their route.
Gently written story to open dialogue when older family members suffer memory loss from any disease. The love shines through the text and the artwork as readers walk with the characters. A helpful book for families facing this.

Maybe was a word that kept another word hidden. Sometimes that word was yes, but often it was no.

Jill and Nonno liked to play with words. It was fun for both of them. A day came when Nonno started losing his words and Jill felt the sting of losing a part of Nonno. A sweet story of empathy and the power of words.

Children will like this story and the "making up of words" is always a fun way to play. Between young and old, it is a way to connect.

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

Thank you to NetGalley, along with the publisher for the eARC. A cute story about the adventures of a grandpa and granddaughter, and how they help one another. Colorful illustrations make the pages very appealing!

A lovely (yet sad) view into the relatinship between a girl and her grandfather who share a love for word games. The word play itself was a fun element and the day trips between the two were adorable. However, the illustrations felt a bit messy and dated. While the end had a sweet moment, it felt like it was missing a true ending to the story.

Other Words for Nonno is a heartwarming way to broach the subject of memory loss and aging with younger kids, especially in relation to older relatives and grandparents. Nonno is the Italian word for grandfather. The illustrations are sweet and relevant to the story. Sometimes memory loss is something our loved ones struggle with, and this is a gentle and age-appropriate way to bring the subject up so kids can learn and ask questions. A+++

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

This book is a beautiful way to encourage children to be understanding of elderly family members. The story was sweet and the illustrations were lovely. Thanks #NetGalley

This was absolutely heartwarming. A great way to introduce the subject matter to little ones. Age appropriate and simple. Beautiful illustrations. Thanks so much for this. My daughter and I enjoyed it.

Jill and her grandfather, Nonno, share a weekly walk where they explore local nature and bond by enjoying each other's company. Nonno uses his sense of humor and narrates their walk, much to Jill's delight. One day, Jill notices that Nonno is behaving differently and seems to forget their routines and rituals. This book offers a gentle introduction to children regarding aging and memory loss. The illustrations are beautiful and the theme of the book is very helpful for opening up family conversations and furthering social-emotional growth.