A bona fide masterpiece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg34h...

A young boy (who lives next to a retirement home) befriends an old woman. When he overhears his parents talking about the old woman losing her memories, the young boy sets out to learn about memories. Based on what he learns, he takes mementos to the old woman, which helps her remember stories from her childhood.

A sweet story about dementia and the relationships the very young and very old can have together.

Wilfred happens to live next door to an old people's home. He enjoys the company of those who live there, whether it's because he gets to listen to scary stories, music being played, talk about cricket or just help out. But he has a special connection to Nancy who also has a long name just like him.
When he finds out that Nancy is losing her memories, he decides on a way to help her by sharing his own. What happens is something quite magical and touching and two mind meet and flower together. A poignant reflection on dementia but don't read it at such a shallow surface level. In fact, best not read any Mem Fox at any surface level.

This was surprisingly poignant! I love how the story showcased all the different facets of memory and their significance to respective individuals. Definitely a heartfelt read, and one that presents meaningful concepts to children and adults alike.

"Wilfred Gordon McDonald Patridge" by Mem Fox is a touching book mostly for adults but can be relatable to children. Fox was an Australian children's writer and this book was originally published in Australia. It is about a little boy who lives next to a nursing home and meets new friends. One day, he overhears his parents talk about his favorite friend in the nursing home named, Miss. Nancy who has lost her memory. Wilfred loves Miss. Nancy because she has four names like him--Miss. Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper. Throughout the book he asks others what memory is and tries to help Miss. Nancy get her memory back. This is a great book that can teach kids about memory loss and can also connect kids to elderly people who I feel like we exclude from society. I think it would be great to go to an elderly home and listen to all the stories they have when they were a young child. This book is great for young children because it is written in some form of rhyme. The words are big on each page and it is a very easy read. This book is very touching because of Wilfred's ambition to try and find Miss. Nancy's memory that she had lost. The illustrations aren't too intriguing, but are satisfactory enough to get the story across. Though the illustrations apply to each character perfectly, with Wilfred being the typical kid riding a skateboard and the elderly wearing cute little slippers carrying canes--there are color imbued illustrations of artist Julie Vivas. I don't know if I would have this book in my classroom, but I would definitely have this book in my house as a parent to read to my kids about memory loss and introduce the topic to them. But, I have to say the book was very moving at the end and had a great ending!

The late American philosopher Gareth B. Matthews reviewed this book in the "Thinking in Stories" column for the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children, available here: https://www.montclair.edu/iapc/review.... He writes, "[John] Locke’s views on personal identity (see his An Essay Concerning Human Under­ standing, Book II, Chapter 27), though they harbor many difficulties familiar to all serious students of the subject, retain a natural appeal. On Locke’s view, Wilfrid Gordon is not just using his collection of precious objects to help Miss Nancy to have certain experiences-some of them warm and comforting, others sad or funny. He is helping her to be able to make connection with the past in such a way as to be the person who waved goodbye to her big brother as he went off to war, and to be the person who first met the little boy with a big football and a very long name on the porch of the old people’s home some months before."

I love this book - an absolute favourite of mine. I took a teddy bear traveling around the world with me when I backpacked - named after this book.
Such a gentle and sweet story about connections through the generations.

This story really struck me. I lost both of my grandmothers to Alzheimers and the idea of memory is so precious to me. "As precious as gold". I appreciate that he has older friends to learn from in this story.

I was first introduced to this story when I taught first grade, and it was a part of our vocabulary lessons. Oh my gosh- it is the SWEETEST! Every child, parent, and even grandparent should read this because it introduces young ones to the elderly and can be a beautiful beginning to an amazing bond with the elderly in their family and community. It makes me miss my grandfather and his awesome stories, which never stopped amazing me- like fairy tales in themselves.

I read this for the "A Character Who Is A Senior" part of my 2020 reading challenge. Simply illustrated, it was a touching story of a child collecting memories to help his elderly friend.

A young boy, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, lives next to a home for the elderly. He befriends the many elderly people who live in the home and has a unique relationship with all of them. Wilfrid's favorite elderly friend is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper because she had four names, just like he did. Wilfrid learns that Miss Nancy suffers from memory loss and embarks on a quest to help Miss Nancy find her memory again.

The main theme of this book is memory, and it address how certain items hold different meanings and remind us of special memories that are dear to us.

This book was sweet and heartwarming. It reminds me of how children are curious about the world and seek to learn, but also desire to help others in need. This book also did a good job of bridging the gap between age generations, and could be helpful if a child has a family member who suffers from a memory loss disease or is in a nursing home. My grandma was in a nursing home for a short period of time before she passed away. While she did not remember much, there were certain people or things that always made her happy, and you could tell that she was remembering.

I recommend this book because it has a good message and addresses a theme that is applicable to most children at some point during their childhood.

It's hard not to tear up during this heartwarming story from the dream team behind Possum Magic. And as a fellow human with four names, this story is especially endearing.