posted on 25 Jun 2024

Grandad’s Star by Frances Tosdevin and Rhian Stone

How do you introduce younger children to the notion that their beloved grandparents might fall ill and do it in a way that gives them a degree of reassurance that, whatever happens, their grandad (or grandma) is still the person they loved and admired before they became unwell?

Well, that’s the task Frances Tosdevin has taken on here with the admirable help of illustrator, Rhian Stone. In Grandad’s Star, a young girl admires her grandad who is a famous astronomer. He tells her stories of how he became fascinated with the stars, finally got a real telescope and went on to have a literally stellar career.

But, like that first telescope, Grandad is getting old. She’s proud of how he’s famous and gives public talks but she notices something is different these days:

“Grandad keeps forgetting where he’s put things. Sometimes, he can’t find the clicky thing, and the screen stays blank.

He isn’t sure of the answers any more.”

Step by step Grandad’s memory is slipping away and there even comes a day when he forgets the little girl’s name.

Her mom explains that:

“…our brains are like the twinkles of stars, shing brightly or growing dim.

She says that some of Grandad’s stars are twinkling dimly. There might be cloudy times when there are no stars at all.”

Now the little girl has to become the teacher, telling her Grandad the names of the stars. And, most importantly, with her mom she makes a telescope so that she can spot a star and make it her ‘Grandad Star’.

It’s a tender and sensitive treatment of dementia and its impact on a family – and on the little girl who so admires her famous grandad.

Important though the message of the story is, its impact is hugely indebted to the artwork of Rhian Stone. I was astonished to discover that this is in fact her debut as a book illustrator and a really outstanding job she’s done. I have to agree with the book’s publisher, Libby Hamilton, who says:

“She rose to the challenge and then surpassed it in the most glorious ways, matching Frances’ depth’s of emotion and heights of hope.”

The book is available in July from Rocket Bird Books and you can get your copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

Terry Potter

June 2024