Ben Shecter

Great-Uncle Alfred Forgets by Ben Shecter is a touching tale of a little girl who spends time with her great-uncle. The uncle most likely has a mental illness like Alzheimer's disease, which affects memory, because he constantly asks the little girl questions, which she patiently answers. I think this book would be good for children of all ages and even adults because so many people can relate to the story. There are many people who have a loved one with a mental illness like this that can understand what it's like to be around someone like Uncle Alfred. I would definitely read this story to a class because there would be almost a guarantee some of the kids would be able to relate. This would also be a great way to teach kids to be patient with someone when they don't understand and not just when they're like Uncle Alfred, but also when a classmate is struggling to learn a new concept. I like that the little girl never gets frustrated with Uncle Alfred, so I would definitely talk about that with my class. This book may be hard for some kids to understand because they may not have ever dealt with this kind of situation, so reminding them that they can use patience with anyone would get them involved. The illustrations are painted, realistic, and slightly splotchy.… (más)