Never Forget Eleanor

Elijah, a young anthropomorphized elephant, adores his Grandma Eleanor. She’s a crossword whiz and a magical storyteller whose words circle around Elijah “in a warm hug” as he listens raptly. And her memory is prodigious: “Everyone in town called her ‘Never Forget Eleanor’ because there was no word, tale, or friend she couldn’t remember.” But Grandma Eleanor begins losing her beloved words and her memory, and then one day goes missing. Elijah is “a jumble of worry” until he realizes she’s taught him how to help her: he creates and installs a story walk with words and images from her favorite tale, and Grandma follows them home. Calm, measured text from June (the Mermicorn Island series) offers compassion and holds space for the protagonist’s grief, while velvety textured gouache and colored pencil vignettes by Long (Someone Builds the Dream) depict a small, animal-populated town where doe-eyed Eleanor is valued and supported by everyone from her family to the local rhino chef and tiger barber. There’s a quiet sincerity at work throughout, and readers should find that it encircles them as well. Creators’ notes discuss Alzheimer’s. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)