Sunday, May 26, 2024

The Truth about Old People by Elina Ellis


Who decides when you become old?  The other day I jumped onto a very crowed bus. There were seats towards the back but before I could get that far a lady (I would say she was around my age) jumped up to give me her seat!  Of course I said no and walked further back to the empty seat I had spied but really - am I old?

I have many friends who are grandparents. I would love to gift them this book (the paperback is only AuS$14) - the text and illustrations are wonderful opposites. It is not true that old people are slow, clumsy, not bendy, or scared of new things. Let's think about that last one. Today I visited the mum of a friend. She is well over 95 years old and she proudly showed me photos of her great grandchildren on her iPhone! Then she scrolled through the text messages from another family member and showed me some special photos her friend had sent recently.

This book goes on to say old people don't dance - but my friend (another grandmother) takes a jazz dance exercise class every day! Here is the dancing page from The Truth about Old People:


And I love the bendy page:


Publisher blurb: A very funny and lovable picture book tribute to grandparents and older people. When you're small, everybody bigger than you seems really old. But does being older have to mean being boring, or slow, or quiet? NO! Elina Ellis' wonderful illustrations reveal that the age you are makes no difference to how amazing you can be. From the winner of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration 2017, The Truth About Old People is an instant favourite with children and grown-ups that tackles ageism without being preachy. Elina has a great talent for characterful illustration: you'll feel like you've known this family all your life.

Here's the web page for Elina Ellis.

Look for these books which debunk the myth about grandparents. You can search for some of these using my sidebar search box:


Here is the companion book by Elina Ellis:



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