"Lewis and Lou" – a picture book for families navigating memory loss together
“This is Grandpa Lewis. We call him Big Lou. He forgets things. They say someday, he might forget me, too. I’m Lou, or Little Lou, and I’m not going anywhere.” These are the first lines of a new picture book, “Lewis and Lou,” a story about memory loss through the eyes of a child.
Where It Comes From
While being a fictional story, it’s also deeply personal to me.
When dementia first hit my family, when my great-grandmother was diagnosed with it, I was a child, and I was carefully guarded from it. But the second time it hit, I was already an adult, and it was earth-shattering, because it was my grandpa, my rock and my anchor who suddenly had it. Had I been given a more realistic portrayal of dementia earlier in life, would that have helped? I don’t know.
To help pay for my grandfather’s care, I took a part-time job as a companion for a woman living with dementia. The irony of the situation was not lost on me.
Janet was in her 80s, witty and fun. After a quick adjustment period, we fell into a comfortable rhythm of regular walks, looking at old memorabilia, reading short stories, and choosing between a BLT, grilled cheese, or tuna for lunch.
Four months after I started working with Janet, my grandfather passed. By that time, I was close enough to Janet and her partner that I decided to keep my work arrangement and stayed until her death just over a year later. With my grandpa, I experienced what it felt like to live this from inside a family, and with Janet, what it meant to support it from outside.
At one point, Janet said, “I have more holes in my brain now, but maybe it makes me more human.” Sometimes, when Janet napped, I drew. Sometimes, I drew for “Lewis and Lou.”
So that’s how this book was born. Between figuring and caretaking, between the laughs and the tears, and with so much love and respect.
The Story
In the book, Big Lou is slowly drifting away as dementia blurs his past and his present. His granddaughter, Little Lou, builds a picture lighthouse in their living room to help him find his way in this storm, and – sometimes – it works. Other times, the waves pulling at Lewis are too strong. Still – she is his Little Lou, and like an anchor in the storm, she's not going anywhere.
Our lives are marked and shaped by our memories. But what happens when those shapes start to blur? How can we maintain the connection with a loved one whose memories are now so radically different? I think of children in multigenerational families who may be grappling with the same questions: the fear of being forgotten, the grief of watching someone change, the strange new weight of roles reversing. In "Lewis and Lou," Little Lou faces all of that.
What I Hope It Does
My hope is that this book might help open a conversation with children that might otherwise be difficult to start. Or it may make someone feel less alone, whether it’s a child, an adult, or a grandparent. Or it may encourage grandparents to make memories and artifacts of those memories together with their grandkids. A reader shared recently that reading “Lewis and Lou” made her son schedule impromptu video calls with his grandparents on both sides of the family. I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.
You can read more about "Lewis and Lou" and find the book as well as supporting materials like a Family Discussion Guide here: dreamist-art.com/lewis-and-lou
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Author Bio:
Julia Vasileva is an author and illustrator of picture books with a background in literature. Her work has been recognized by the Canada Council for the Arts, the SCBWI Don Freeman Award, and the Key Colors competition. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.
Website: www.dreamist-art.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dreamist_art