Tuesday Treasure
Julio invites his Grandad to come on adventure.
"And this is what we'll do: we'll take something we need
and something to love."
Julio puts his money box in one pocket and Harris - a small knitted rabbit in his other pocket. He can wrap his fingers around his friend when he needs comfort.
Julio is so patient with Grandad but he knows it is important for the pair to leave. Julio heard his father say he was planning to put Grandad in a Home. Julio imagines this will be like the Dogs' Home and he "didn't want his Grandad in a place like that."
Julio and his Grandad take a bus down town. They explore the big department store and enjoy riding up and down on the escalators. Next stop, the library, where the pair do some quiet reading. Julio buys some lunch - salad roll and strawberry milk and they enjoy the sunshine in the park. Finally they step onto a train. Grandad falls asleep and, after checking on Harris, Julio falls asleep too. The train travels far out of the city and night has fallen when it reaches the final stop. The next train does not depart until morning. Luckily a kind policeman talks to Julio and listens when Julio explains about dogs in cages and his worries about Grandad. Of course Mum and Dad arrive and all is explained.
"It was a real adventure, Grandad, wasn't it? Look, this is what I took to love. It's Harris, see? He was in my pocket all the time. What did you take to love, Grandad?'
The old man smiled. 'Why Julio, didn't you know? I took you to love!"
As a mark of how much I adore this book (a Tuesday Treasure) I recently tracked down a second hand copy from a shop in Noosa. Luckily for me this copy was quite cheap and it is in mint condition. I was also excited to discover A Rabbit Named Harris won the NSW Premiers Award in 1987 - The Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature. Some other titles that have won this award include Possum Magic, Who Sank the Boat?, Whistle up the Chimney and John Brown Rose and the Midnight Cat.
This wonderful and important book needs to be read alongside these other classic stories about grandparents and the impact of dementia. Click the titles for more details:
In my hunt for books on this topic I have also discovered these two which look good. I hope to find them soon.
1 comment:
both in my library
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