I have been following this with a lot of interest - what a great thing to do! I usually recommend humorous essays like Bombeck and Barry to our caregivers here, but picture books are an interesting possibility. I imagine some J non-fiction would be valuable for people who were originally non-fiction readers, as well.

My thought would be that since long-term memory is supposed to last longer as we age, reaching back to the older Caldecott winners and honorable books, and various children's classics that have either stayed in print or been reprinted might resonate with her listeners. As a collector of older children's books, I can attest to the degree to which stories, and especially illustrations, from childhood evoke an almost visceral response in many adults.

Depending on the age of the audience, I'm thinking of Virginia Lee Burton, Berta and Elmer Hader, Cecily Mary Barker, Lynd Ward, Beatrix Potter, The Little Island by McDonald/Weisgard, Classic Pooh and the poems, Ruth Stiles Gannett, McCloskey, some of the old Volland reprints - Flower Children, Raggedy Ann - things they might have read as children or read aloud to their children. The Andrew Lang color fairy tale books would probably also be the remembered versions, and perhaps Jessie Wilcox Smith's Child's Garden of Verses. Barnes and Noble has reprinted the Milo Winter Aesop, and somebody did one of the Watty Piper story anthologies not too long ago.

Another possibility, though not one libraries could really help with, is old school readers. When we spent a year with our fifth grade reader back in the day, we knew it by heart! Short chapters designed for high interest - what's not to like? These are pretty common secondhand, and again, the illustrations are an integral part of the response. Another out-of-print item that might come in as a donation is "My Bookhouse," edited by Olive Beaupre Miller - lovely illustrations. There is a similar set from Collier's that often shows up in library sales, and was also a household staple years ago.

Finally, a lot of older people belong to the "recitation generation." They had to learn a lot of poems by heart as school, and deliver them publicly. Hey, no TV. Under the spreading chestnut tree and all that. Paul Revere's Ride. Cremation of Sam Magee. Kipling's If. Finding individual illustrated editions of these in today's libraries might be a little tough, but the Untermeyer poetry anthology is attractive, and probably has a bunch. I bet the listeners could dredge the words up and speak right along.

Bless her for her dedication, and best of luck.

Sue Grotyohann Monroe Township Library

-----Original Message----- From: Suzanne Klein [mailto:SKl...@EBPL.org] Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 1:06 PM To: njy...@njstatelib.org Subject: [njyac] Picturebooks for adult day care

Hi, everyone --

We have a regular customer who volunteers to read aloud at an adult day care center. Many of the people she works with have conditions that have affected their ability to pay attention for a long period of time or fully understand what she's reading. She reads a lot of simple poetry to them and has even had some success with children's magazines, but picture books are the hardest category to find something that works.

If you've helped someone in a similar situation or can think of a title that's simple, not too wordy, but would not be condescending or unsophisticated for an adult audience, please send me your ideas!

Thanks, Suzanne

Suzanne M. Klein Youth Services Librarian East Brunswick Public Library 2 Jean Walling Civic Center E. Brunswick, NJ 08816 (732) 390-6789 skl...@ebpl.org...@ebpl.org">sklein@ebpl.org

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