Meatballs for Grandpa by Jeanette Fazzari Jones (Author ) Jaclyn Sinquett (Illustrator) is a heart warming story about coping with a grandparent who has Alzheimer’s Disease. The little girl and her grandmother make spaghetti sauce, meatballs, and pasta with grandpa by taste without a recipe. When they sat down to eat, grandpa remembered his granddaughter. This was a really sweet book that touched on a difficult issue, a grandparent not remembering her. But the book offered some hope that a familiar shared activity and familiar tastes and smells could bring back that recollection. The illustrations were perfect, sort of funny and endearing. The story is filled with sensory descriptions which make the story come alive. In the back of the book, the author discussed the impact of Alzheimer’s Disease and her personal experiences with it and shared her family’s recipe for meatballs and sauce. There were also a number of Italian words for which there is a glossary with pronunciation cues in the front of the book. I definitely recommend this delightful story that would be perfect to read to a child with a family member who is suffering from some type of dementia. I am voluntarily writing this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this book.

Meatballs for Grandpa is a book I believe many will relate too. For me, it was a nostalgic book that reminds me of cooking with my own grandparent. The illustrations in this book are stunning and the story is sweet. The meatball recipe in the back of the book is a must try! I can't wait to grab the physical copy of this.

Meatballs for Grandpa is a beautiful story about family and heritage as a little girl makes meatballs with her grandparents even though her grandpa forgets more and more things. This is a great book to help anyone deal with the idea of growing older and people changing due to age or other circumstances.
This book encourages people to hold onto memories and things they can pass down and keep with them, like family recipes.

"Meatballs for Grandpa" is so beautifully written and illustrated. It's always amazing to find a book with beautiful words and equally beautiful pictures and this book definitely accomplishes both. I loved this sweet story about a granddaughter making meatballs with her grandparents and the representation of Alzheimer's disease.

This book teaches several words and phrases in Italian and has a recipe for children in the back to make meatballs with their own families.

Thank you to NetGalley and Two Lions for my free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations in this picture book are creative and engaging and I especially liked the Italian glossary in the FRONT of the book (there are also end notes about the author's personal story). I wish more publishers would include the glossary in the front.

The story is very simple. The granddaughter makes spaghetti and meatballs with her grandparents. The grandfather obviously struggles with memory—the granddaughter wonders again and again: does he know who I am?

I think this book might be a great way to talk to a child about the different feelings they may have about a grandparent who is suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia.

The one element to the story I have mixed feelings about is the magical result of these meatballs. It is definitely fantasy and I think it would be important to discuss that with a child.

Overall, Recommended for very young readers and / or for families with members who are affected by Alzheimer's or dementia.

There is also a recipe in the back for families who like to cook recipes together. (I hope to try this with my kids!)

This children's story tells Italian heritage, family, traditions, food, and love.

I loved the glossary of Italian words and phrases - I thought that was very cute and also very important in preserving the heritage portion of the story. Additionally, the recipes at the end of the book were a cute touch, and I certainly read through them to compare to my own meatball and sauce recipes.
Loved the use of all of the onomatopoeic words (hiss, crackle, pop, splash, sizzle) while they were making the sauce in the kitchen. I thought it was smart and attention grabbing how the onomatopoeic words are large on the page, colorful, and in different fonts. Makes for a fun opportunity to loudly repeat those words with the kids. "Pop, splatter. Garlic-scented heat fills the air," makes me feel like I'm right there in the kitchen making the sauce and meatballs! Even Grandpa putting the red pepper flakes onto his pasta, really feels like home!
The illustrations are beautiful- brightly colored, realistic, and and eye catching. From the characters, to the background, to the food, this illustrator did an amazing job.

The overall story of this book is based on the author's personal experience of being a child with a grandparent who had Alzheimers. While this was a beautiful book and story overall, I feel that the proper audience to this book (children who could fully connect with it) are going to be those who unfortunately also have a grandparent or loved one with Alzheimers AND those who are of Italian heritage (or at least have a tradition of helping family cook certain meals). For a child in that situation, this book is perfect and relatable and uplifting. For other children not experienced in the situation of Alzheimers, this thought can be very scary. For this reason, I personally would not gift this book to others unless I specifically knew they were going through this sad situation.

Overall- the author did a beautiful job of telling a story from her own childhood (though re-written as a happier ending). And the illustrator really blew me away!

What a precious story to help children with alzheimer family members relate and better understand. And the power of cooking and family traditions is beautiful! The artistry of the onomatopoeias is a unique writing style and emphasizes the words. Such a cute story to share with children struggling to understand family dynamics!

I loved this picture book about a grandkid cooking with their grandparents and sharing a meal. It made me miss my own grandparents.

What a beautiful story. The cover drew me in with my Italian background. Meatballs! The story itself was beautiful done with powerful, fun, and excitement throughout the story.

As an educator, I am always looking for new books to add my collection. Even though I am not a child, this book is what I needed. I recently lost my Papaw who had dementia and did not know who I was half of the time. Reading this story made me remember all the amazing times we had growing up. He loved to bake, especially pancakes. This heartfelt story needs to be on everyone’s bookshelf and cannot wait to buy it when it releases.

This is a thoughtful story that would be beneficial to any child whose family member has Alzheimer’s. Very well done.

Meatballs for Grandpa
By Jeanette Fazzari JJones
Illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett

The cover captured my eye and the meatballs tantalized my tastebuds. My mother-in-law has recently passed away from dementia so the premise resonated with me.
I love that food was a connector and the bridge. The illustrations were very good, I particularly liked the artistry of the fonts.
I wish the Italian was also in English. I can hear my granddaughter saying 'What is that Grandma?" and I would have to google translate the word myself.
I love the recipe included again, I can imagine my granddaughter saying "Can we make it Grandma?"
I rate this book a 4 out of 5 but I wish my granddaughter was not thousands of miles away so I could have read it with her to get her take on it.
Thank you, NetGalley for the copy to read and review

Such a sweet book to help children dealing with grandparents who are diagnosed with dementia. My Mimi currently is and it is hard for my younger children to understand. This book hopefully will help!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Meatballs for Grandpa is a sensitively written and beautifully illustrated young reader story (~5-8 year olds) by Jeanette Fazzari Jones and Jaclyn Sinquett (illus.). Due out 12th March 2024 from Amazon on their Two Lions imprint, it's 40 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book will be included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is such a sweet book. Felicia's grandfather has Alzheimer's and doesn't always remember her. She and her grandma spend time making a special family recipe in the hopes that he'll come back to them even if only for a little while. There are a lot of important takeaways here, spending time with loved ones in the here-and-now, finding enjoyment in small tasks, learning from (and spending time with) our elder generations before it's too late.

There are Italian words and phrases sprinkled throughout. Although there's a short glossary at the back of the book, the words are clear from context. It's a simple book, but such a cozy read. The author has also included her own family recipe for spaghetti and meatballs.

The illustrations are warmly inviting, cozy, and suit the simple text very well.

Four and a half stars. It would be a great choice for public/school/classroom library, for home use, and for gift giving to a young friend (or family member whose loved one is maybe in a similar situation to young Felicia).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Oh my goodness! This was so sweet, but also sad. What an important story to share with a child struggling with this situation

Meatballs for Grandpa is a heartwarming story of a girl helping her grandfather remember her by cooking a family favorite recipe. This book pulls on heart strings, especially if (like me) the reader has their own personal experience interacting with grandparents who no longer remember them. What a beautiful and endearing tool for parents to encourage and reassure children who may find themselves in a similar circumstance.

The illustrations are gorgeous, theres bright colors, movement, and fun onomatopoeias are sprinkled in the pages. The reader feels welcomed into a comfortable home experience brought to life by sound and color. Taking it a step further, the author provides their family's meatball recipe to get kids involved on an even deeper level! I highly recommend this children's book for any parent, family, or child at heart.

What a sweet story about being present with someone struggling with Alzheimer’s. I appreciate how the author notes the child’s wishes that her grandpa could remember her while also enjoying the time they share together. This experience is far too common, so this book that a child may relate to is so valuable. I also loved the Author’s Note!

Thank you to NetGalley and Two Lions for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

It can be so hard to explain growing old and the ways our bodies and minds change with age to young children, and this beautiful and heartfelt story is a wonderful way to address this with young children. This is a sweet story of a young girl who reminds her grandpa of their memories together by making meatballs with him and her grandma. The illustrations and the message of this book are both beautiful. Despite addressing something that is hard for everyone to deal with, it is a cozy book with a message of love and family.

Meatballs for Grandpa by Jeanette Fazzari Jones (Author ) Jaclyn Sinquett (Illustrator)

"Taste and smell are all we need."

The illustration is definitely a plus for this storybook - the details, the style and the color the illustrator used. The wordings, the grammar and various sentence structures are suitable for children to read. The story content is meaningful. I enjoy seeing the sweet and close relationship between booboodoll and her grandparents.

The story not only ends at itself. The author even generously gave us her meatball recipe!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Two Lions and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Mar 12, 2024

I thought that this was a really lovely book, it deals with the subject really delicately but also with a good understanding for children.

I liked the way that the book focussed on the use of smells and taste to trigger memories.

It also deals with the way that some grandparents, as an example, may forget names and who people are but that isn’t anything that the child has done which can be a worry for them if they don’t understand.

The illustrations in the book are really well done, they are warm and really help to tell the story as well. It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended!