To call "Singing with Momma Lou" solely a book about Alzheimer's Disease is to focus too narrowly. Yes, this 32-page picture book tells the story of nine year old Tamika and her grandmother, Momma Lou, who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, and does an excellent job of it. However, the emphasis is broader and includes family love and respect, family memories, and the importance of preserving and handing down family history from one generation to another.

Every week Tamika and her parents visit her grandmother, who lives in a nursing home. Each time, Tamika has to reintroduce herself. Frustrated and withdrawn on these visits, Tamika has lost sight of all of the wonderful times she and her grandmother shared and all of the love and kindness her grandmother always showered on her.

Tamika's father gently reminds her of this by showing her Momma Lou's scrapbooks and talking about the photographs and other items in them. Tamika learns about Momma Lou's wedding, her singing with bands, and her work in the civil rights movement. There is even a newspaper clipping of Momma Lou in jail, singing "We Shall Overcome" with a group of protestors. Tamika especially enjoys all of the photographs that show her and Momma Lou. They help her to realize the importance of returning the love her grandmother has shown her by visiting with her in the nursing home.

Tamika resolves to "give Momma Lou back her memories. Not all of them maybe, but some." She sets about doing this by sharing old songs and items from Momma Lou's scrapbook with her grandmother. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. As time passes, Momma Lou gets worse and finally even stops singing. Although her parents are discouraged, Tamika won't give up.

Tamika decides that being in jail for a civil rights protest would have been a momentous occasion in her grandmother's life. She brings in the newspaper clipping, and Momma Lou, for the last time, comes alive with memories and laughter, even leading her family, as well as some of the staff and residents, in singing "We Shall Overcome." When Momma Lou, with tears in her eyes, leans over and whispers to Tamika, "Don't let this get lost, honey," Tamika understands the importance of keeping these memories alive and promises, "I'll keep it safe." Although Momma Lou dies shortly thereafter, Tamika keeps her promise.

The book was written by Linda Jacobs Altman and illustrated in acrylics by Larry Johnson. Altman has firsthand experience with the effects of Alzheimer's because her mother suffered from it. According to Altman's publisher, "While this was a tragic experience, she learned from her mother the power of the human spirit." At the end of the book, there is a page of information on Alzheimer's disease, including the names, addresses, and web sites of three related organizations. The book is intended for the 4-8 year old child, but it would also be valuable for older children coping with a family member's Alzheimer's disease.

What I particularly like about "Singing with Momma Lou" is

• its accuracy in depicting Alzheimer's Disease, particularly the uneven progress of the disease and the value of music, photos, and memorabilia as memory prompts,
• its focus on family bonds,
• it emphasis on the importance of continuing to love and care for family members even when they are too ill to reciprocate, and
• its depiction of the bond between grandmother and child.