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The book, The Remembering Balloons by Jessie Oliveros, was recently donated to our collection by The Friends of the New Glarus Public Library in memory of Ken Brunner and Daryl Murken. This picture book, published in 2018, was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award by the American Library Association for its excellence in portraying dementia and its effects on families.

The Remembering Balloons gently and lovingly teaches children about dementia and aging using the metaphor of balloons. In the story, balloons represent the memories we collect throughout our lives, which we share with one another. Sometimes, however, balloons are lost as people grow older and develop dementia. The author addresses the frustration, anger, and sadness that can come with these losses, but also offers children a new way to look at what they are experiencing. It teaches kids that they can hold onto those lost balloons and continue to share them with loved ones.

Both Ken and Daryl lived with forms of dementia and passed away recently. And both have wives actively involved with The Friends of the Library.

"There are many illnesses that fall under the umbrella of dementia," Ken's wife, Cindy, shared. Ken lived with a form of dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia. Cindy has read this book to her grandchildren often while they share their memories of Ken with each other. Although it is not always easy to make it through the book, she says, "It's important to educate children about dementia to help them understand what it means...and the balloons, and losing them, are good analogies to help kids understand."

Daryl lived with Alzheimer's for nine years and had grandchildren of varying ages. His wife, Judy, acknowledges that kids struggle as they watch a loved one living with dementia. She shared that, "The balloons are a good example...a place to start conversations about aging and memory loss...and a way to help kids feel comfortable with the changes."

Daryl Murken

Ken and Daryl were supporters of reading and the library. Daryl was an avid reader and would visit the library a few times a week. He continued his library visits well into his illness. Books were a comfort, even when reading became difficult. Ken, a teacher, track, and cross-country coach, would get his entire team involved in helping move books for the library's annual book sale. Cindy recalls one year the team formed an assembly line and passed boxes of books from one person to the next for the length of an entire village block.

The Friends of the Library hope that sharing this book will help other families on their journey through dementia. We are grateful for this heartfelt and valuable contribution to our collection.