This book is about a little boy (Wilfrid) who lived next to a senior care facility. He had made friends with all the elders living there, but his favorite was Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper since she had four names too. Wilfrid overheard his parents say how Miss Nancy had lost her memory, so he set out to figure out what a memory was and to find things that were memories he could give her. Once he had found memories, based from asking the other seniors what memories were, Wilfrid gave them to Miss Nancy who began to remember again.

I think the major themes of this story are kindness and sharing.

One of my great grandmothers had memory loss early on and it was hard for our family. She was unable to remember her own children at times, but at others she could. I remember it used to be a stress for my grandmother trying to help her but her own mother not remembering who she was.

I recommend this book because it can teach children (maybe 3rd and 4th grade) that a memory can be many things. That to some people a memory can be sad, but to others it can be happy. It also shows them that memories can be tied to objects that are meaningful to them personally but also have no connection to them and still invoke memories to arise. I think it also shows that sharing something personal can help other people who might be struggling or just need a friend.

As a younger child, my mother worked in a long-term care facility. Her shift was such that I would ride to work with her and then catch the bus from the facility to my school (yes, this was the seventies. . .we did these kinds of things).

I still remember Otto who made these lovely items out of rubber balls and yarn. I wish I had mine still.

I still remember Frieda who would bang her spoon around her bowl when it was empty. The memory is as clear as the Maypo I would share with the residents.

And perhaps this is why I am drawn to this Mem Fox story about a young man who lives next door to a group home of elderly residents. Each of these individuals have something to offer Wilfrid, but there is one special lady--one who has four names too--that has a special place in Wilfrid's heart.

When Wilfrid overhears his parents talking about Nancy Alison Delacort Cooper's memory, Wilfrid sets out to find out what a memory is. And with each resident giving him a different definition of the word, "memory," Wilfrid sets out to put together a memory collection for his friend.

Writer's Workshop ready for discussions and writing invitations about memories.

For older readers, talk about the power of definition.

Wonderful, natural ladders to TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, SOMETHING TO REMEMBER, TIP-TAP POP, and a host of other books that celebrate multigenerational interactions.

A delightful tale of a unique boy with an even more unique name struggling to connect with an aging resident and neighbor until one day he collects memories for her. Beautifully written and artfully illustrated, this one stands the test of time. But the best thing about Mem Fox's masterpiece is that even the older readers will sit still for it!

I reread this one to all of my classes each year as we prep for our personal narrative writing. All told, I've read Mem Fox's classic book about plucking memories so many times that I can't recall...

I liked this book. I thought the innocence of the boy and his love for Mrs.Nancy is sweet. I don't know if I would read it aloud to my classroom but I would definitely sit it out for quiet reading time.

I think this is one of my favorite Mem Fox books. The sweet story of a boy who helps an elderly friend find her memory.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is a small boy who has a big name - and that's why he likes Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper becasue she has too. So when he finds Miss Nancy has lost her memory, Wilfrid determines to discover what memories are so he can find it for her.

A little boy named Wilfred Gordon Mcdonald Partridge lived next door to an "old people's home" and he knew all the people that lived there. Wilfred Gordon Mcdonald Partridge's favorite person though was a woman named Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper. She had four names just like him, but he just called her Miss Nancy. They shared all their secrets and spent a lot of time together. One day Wilfred Gordon's parents were talking about Miss Nancy and said that she had lost all her memory. Wilfred Gordon set out on a mission to find out exactly what memory was and how he could help Miss Nancy get hers back. This is a great book about caring for people and talking about what memories are and what they can make us feel. A great activity for this would be for children to bring in something special from home that has special memories and the teacher will take pictures of it and put them in or on our classroom's very own special memory treasure box.

What a book! I get tears in my eyes each time I read this book, even though I know what's coming. Here are the things I liked and think are worthy to notice in a classroom: the illustrations, although cartoon like, are accurate in an interesting way. The older people in the book are overweight, have wrinkles, wear glasses, and wear commonly worn clothes for people at an old age home. I have been to an old age home where you walk in and see several people lined up in comfortable chairs just sitting like they do in the book. I use this book in my classroom to kick off our service learning project with the elderly. The students have so many questions before we visit an old age home in Skokie and this book kicks off that discussion. The students also create memory boxes after understanding what memory is both in our minds and scientifically. This book can open discussions about how an object or artifact can activate the senses to remember. I love Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. This is one of my favorite picture books.

An amazing story that will make most adults teary-eyed. If the story itself doesn't make you cry, Mem Fox's comments about where she got her ideas for the story just might:
http://www.memfox.com/wilfrid-gordon-...

This is one I think everyone should read.

There are many children literature in the market dealing with the subject of Alzheimer or memory lost, but this is the only one so far that brings me a smile and makes me tear a little. I am also a big fan of Julie Vivas's artworks. I loves the soft colour scheme of the water colour paintings, the vividness of the expression of the painted characters, and the sweetness of the overall compositions (although 22-month old Little-AJ might beg to differ as he is still very much attracted to strong contrasting colours).

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge lived next door to an old people's home. He knew all the people who lived there, but his favourite person of all was Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper because she had four names, just as he did. This is the story of how Wilfred, when realizing that his favourite Miss Nancy was losing her memory, decided to help her to recover her memory. But the problem was, Wilfred had no idea what a "memory" means.

So he began a quest to search for "memory". He went around interviewing all the old people to find out what a "memory" is, and was told that it is something warm, something from long ago, something that makes you cry, something that makes you laugh, and something as precious as gold.

(Spoiler ahead) So Wilfred went home and collected 5 items, each meeting one of the 5 descriptions: seashells, a puppet, a medal from his grandfather, his football, and a warm egg from under a hen. The ending of the story gives the readers a bitter sweet emotion. Miss Nancy held each of the little gift from Wilfred, and remembered something from her past. It's beautiful, and it moved my heart.

I love this book. Little-AJ is too young to appreciate the loveliness of this book (although he did sit through the entire story a few times without any protest), but I hope one day he will fall in love with it too.

Blog review here: https://storypleasemummy.wordpress.co...

This is a heartfelt and moving story of a little boy who wants to find his friend's missing memory. Wilfred lives next door to a nursing home and visits the residents regularly. When one of his resident friends, Nancy, seems to be losing her memory, he sets out to ask his father and the other residents what a memory is. They have varying replies and meanings, as a memory is not the same thing to everyone. With all the answers, Wilfred returns home to collect various items and takes them to his friend, hoping to help her remember. While at first, she wonders about a small boy visiting with what she thinks is a strange collection, one by one she handles them and starts to remember her childhood and the brother who went to war. Wilfred is happy that her memory has returned.
Beautifully and simply written, this Picture Book has deep implications for therapy. As a puppeteer and former aged care worker with dementia residents, I can testify to the power of simple items for memory recall. How wonderful would our world be with many more Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridges to share their love and concern for the older generation.

Such a beautiful story. How I wish the pictures were prettier. To me the people in the pictures are made to look unnaturally worse than most people look.

But putting that aside, I love, Love, LOVED this story. I love that the young boy love his older neighbors. I love that he was concerned about Miss Nancy. I love that he believed that she could be helped - that her situation could be made better. And I love that he tried his best to help her.

Would that we were all so compassionate towards others.

When using Christ's definition - to love your neighbor has yourself - this boy was a true neighbor.